A Ukrainian pilot outlines how drones powered by jet skis sunk a Russian warship | CNN (2024)

Near Odesa, Ukraine CNN —

All it took was six sea drones, powered by jet skis, to fell a Russian guided missile ship last week, according to a rare interview with the secretive Ukrainian unit behind the attack.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence said at the time that the small Russian warship, the Ivanovets, suffered multiple hits to its hull before it was sunk by dronesinan inlet on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula.

One of the drone pilots behind the attack told CNN thatten “MAGURA” drones were used in the attack, six of which hit and ultimately sunk the Russian warship –the latest embarrassing loss for Russia’s Black Sea fleet.

The “MAGURA” drones are only a few meters long and powered by jet skis,the pilotsaid, but theyhave a large range of around800kilometers(nearly 500 miles), giving his unit freedom to launch their drones from across large swathes of Ukraine’s coastline for missions against Crimean targets.

The pilot, identifiedas call sign “13,” is a member of a special unitinUkraine’s defense intelligence agency (GUR),which hasbeen linked to a number of attacks on Crimea and into Russia itself, often using drones to hit far beyond the range of conventional weapons of Ukraine’s arsenal.

Night-time footage released by the Ukrainians showed Russians firing at the drones as they raced towardsthe Ivanovets, before at least two drones struck the side of the ship, disabling it and causing massive explosions.

The footage includes a striking sceneof what appears to be thebow of the Ivanovetssticking out of the water as it sinks to the bottom ofLake Donuzlav.

CNN could not independently verify Ukraine’s claim and which vessel was struck and when. There has been no official comment from Russia about Ukraine’s claims.

Calls for more drones

Kyiv is increasingly turning to drones to level the playing field with Russia, with a string of drone attacks hitting strategic targets in Russia in recent weeks.

Moscow’s oil and gas infrastructure has come under threat, with a drone attack on a Russian oil terminal about 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Saint Petersburg.

Russians “started waking up at night during explosions,” Ukraine’s defense intelligence chief KyryloBudanov told CNNin late January.“They see the real picture of war.”

The “MAGURA” drones are only a few meters long and powered by jet skis,the pilotsaid, and theyhave a large range of around800kilometers(nearly 500 miles).

On the battlefield too, Ukraine’s top general has called for more widespread use of drones, both to save the lives of Ukrainian troops and to negate Russia’s material advantage in arms and ammunition.

“It is these unmanned systems– such as drones –along with other types of advanced weapons, that provide the best way for Ukraine to avoid being drawn into a positional war, where we do not possess the advantage,”Ukraine’s Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Valerii Zaluzhnyi,wrote ina CNN op-ed last week.

“In short, this means nothing less than the wholesale redesign of battlefield operations – and the abandoning of outdated, stereotypical thinking,” he added.

Since Russia’s takeover of Crimea in 2014 – and following further losses after Russia’s 2022 invasion – Ukraine no longer has a functioning navy in the Black Sea.Butthe sinkingof the Ivanovets is anothervictoryin Ukraine’s campaign against Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

The most notable of its strikes was the attack on the Moskva in April 2022, which forced Russia to change the way it operates close to areas controlled by Ukraine.

‘Jeweler’s work’

Theimpactof the drones is impressive but it’s delicate work,said the pilot.

“The main thing is to feel the drone,” hetold CNN. “If you squeeze it a little, you can lose control of the drone. I would say it’s like jeweler’s work.

Controlled from afar via a Starlink connection, the drones can also be pre-programmed for the long journeys across the Black Sea.

A pilot is constantly monitoring the drone’s passage,hesaid, with the finalrun into the targets often controlled manually.

The drone’s 250kg (551lb) payload can be increased to 300kg,he added, “but there is no need to do so.” Even against some of the toughest ships of Moscow’s Black Sea fleet, the drones have proved their effectiveness.

Ukrainian drone pilots drove six drones into the Russian warship, causing it to sink.

At almostsixmeters long, the drones are imposing out of the water.Butonce afloat, they make a hard target for defending Russians.

“They are quite difficult to see, especially in the open sea. This size makes it difficult to control it because the sea is choppy but it also makes it much harder for the enemy to hit us,” he said.

The weaponry aboard Russia’s warships wasn’t designed with drones in mind, forcing targets like the IVAN to use cannons better suited to duels with other ships,the pilotsaid.

Video of the attack shows rounds hitting the waterasthe drones home in on theIvanovets.The ammunition isunable to stop the incoming bombs.

At a demonstration of the drones on the Black Sea, CNN saw one drone – identical to those used against theIvanovets– pull off tight turns at speed on autopilot. It’s agile by design,the pilotsaid.

“No warship can be as manoeuvrable as these drones,”he added.