Ukraine shared new details on Tuesday about a precursor mission for its first underwater drone strike against a Russian submarine, showing how its forces laid the groundwork for its main attack.
The Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, released a video on Tuesday saying that it had first struck an Il-38N reconnaissance aircraft, also known as a Sea Dragon, using an aerial drone carrying an airburst warhead.
The security agency published footage of a flying drone approaching a Sea Dragon on its runway, saying it was carrying an explosive warhead that disperses over 2,000 fragments toward its target.
“The detonation occurred directly above the compartment housing the main equipment and radars and also damaged the engine,” the SBU said.
Business Insider could not independently verify the time or location of filming. The Russian defense ministry did not respond to a request for comment.
The SBU said that disabling the aircraft was a key prior step for the later, main strike on the Russian submarine.
The Sea Dragon, which is designed to detect underwater threats, had been “actively countering the operations of the SBU’s maritime drones,” the security service said.
“In the Black Sea, the Russians had only one aircraft of this class capable of detecting the ‘Sub Sea Baby’ underwater drone as it moved toward its target,” the SBU added.
The SBU said the attack unfolded at the Yeysk air base.
Yeysk sits on the eastern flank of the Sea of Azov across from the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol, and is roughly 140 miles from the port of Novorossiysk.
Russia stations many of its naval assets at this Black Sea port, which is also where the SBU said earlier this month that it attacked a Russian Kilo-class submarine with a Sub Sea Baby.
The drone is a version of the Sea Baby uncrewed surface vessel — which is equipped with an explosive warhead and designed to ram into its target — that is modified to run underwater.
The SBU released footage of an explosion near a pier in the port of Novorossiysk, though it’s unclear when this video was filmed.
Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has denied that the attack caused significant damage to the Kilo-class sub.
The diesel-electric boat, estimated by Ukraine to be worth $400 million, is designed to carry up to four Kalibr cruise missiles. This precision missile type is often compared to the US Tomahawk and has been used regularly by Russia to attack Ukrainian cities.
Ukraine has no official navy of its own, but it has used drones and missiles to harass Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and, at times, drive it away.
The SBU had earlier said that the attacked Kilo-class submarine was in Novorossiysk after retreating from Crimea due to Ukrainian attacks.
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