Russia announced that it had destroyed the Ukrainian Navy’s Simferopol, a medium reconnaissance ship, using a naval drone at the mouth of the River Danube. The Ukrainian Navy confirmed the incident, reporting casualties among the crew.

“Efforts to address the aftermath of the attack are ongoing. The majority of the crew are safe, and the search for several missing sailors continues,” Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk told the Kyiv Independent.

In another statement to Ukrinform, he added: “We confirm the fact of the strike on the ship. Currently, the elimination of the consequences of the attack is ongoing. The overwhelming majority of the crew is safe. The search for several sailors continues. Unfortunately, one crew member was killed, and several were wounded.”


The Simferopol was launched in 2019 and entered service with Ukraine in 2021. Built as a Laguna-class vessel, it carried advanced electronic, radar, and optical reconnaissance systems along with a 30 mm AK-306 artillery gun. According to the WarGonzo Telegram channel, it was the largest ship Kyiv had launched since 2014.

Russia’s first confirmed sea drone attack

The Russian Defence Ministry said the strike was carried out “using a high-speed uncrewed surface (USV) vehicle” and claimed “as a result of the attack, the Ukrainian ship sank.”

United24, Ukraine’s official media outlet, said, “This marks the first recorded instance of Russian forces employing a naval drone to strike a Ukrainian warship.”

Footage released online showed two perspectives of the incident, one from the drone itself as it approached the ship and another from an overhead surveillance drone. Russia did not provide details of the type of USV used, its launch point, or its technical capabilities. Analysts noted it could have been launched from occupied Crimea, over 130 miles away, or from a larger Russian Navy vessel.

Deadly barrage on Kyiv

The sinking of Simferopol followed a massive overnight assault on Kyiv. Ukrainian officials said at least 21 people were killed and 48 wounded. Among the victims were four children aged between two and 17.

Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s city administration, said rescue workers were still searching through debris. “More people may still be trapped under the rubble as search and rescue operations continue,” he warned.

Ukraine’s Air Force reported Russia launched 598 drones and decoys, along with 31 missiles. It described the attack as the Kremlin’s second-largest since the war began in February 2022. Damage was reported across all ten districts of Kyiv. Nearly 100 buildings were hit, including a central shopping centre and offices belonging to the European Union, with thousands of windows shattered.

Drone production facility targeted

Russian state media also reported claims by Ukrainian politician Igor Zinkevich that a drone production site in Kyiv had been struck. He said the facility had been preparing to manufacture Turkish-made Bayraktar drones, which have played a major role in Ukraine’s defence.

This aligns with Moscow’s recent push to prioritise attacks on Ukraine’s drone capacity, while accelerating its own production of unmanned systems, both aerial and naval.

Broader Black Sea tensions

The strike in the Danube delta took place a day after a rare encounter between a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft and a Russian Sukhoi fighter jet over the western Black Sea. The Poseidon is equipped with advanced radar designed to detect small vessels such as drone boats.

The incident has fuelled speculation about how closely the United States is monitoring the expansion of naval drone warfare in the region.

Russia’s naval drone development

Russia has been working on its own fleet of sea drones. One known variant is called the Katran, which can launch small aerial drones or carry machine guns. But unlike Ukraine’s drones that use satellite communications such as Starlink, Katran relies on radio channels with a declared range of 100 to 200 kilometres.

Ukrainian Defence Express reported, “Katran lacks satellite communication capabilities, unlike Ukrainian sea drones equipped with systems like Starlink. Instead, it relies on radio channels, limiting its operational range and making it susceptible to electronic warfare (EW) systems.”

In April, Russia’s Izvestia news outlet admitted similar weaknesses, stating, “Transmitting a reliable radio signal still limits the range of the boats.”

The scale of this escalation has triggered international alarm. The UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting at the request of Ukraine, supported by Britain, France, Slovenia, Denmark and Greece.

The meeting is expected to focus on Russia’s increased use of drones in both sea and air campaigns, a development that is now shaping the direction of the war.