Latest news with #Boykotowers
Times
30-07-2025
- Politics
- Times
Ukraine reveals ‘suicide drone' footage of Russian gas rig strike
Ukrainian commandos launched suicide drones from boats to strike a Russian-controlled gas platform near Crimea last year in the first such attack of its kind, Kyiv's military has revealed. The platform, located between Crimea and Odesa, had been occupied by Russia since 2015 and was turned into a forward operating base for surveillance and military activity after the full-scale invasion in 2022. Footage released by Ukraine's military intelligence agency, the HUR, shows the explosive drones flying low over the Black Sea before striking the Petro Hodovalets rig last September. The involvement of the first-person view (FPV) drones was previously unreported and marks the first confirmed instance of them being deployed from the sea rather than land or long-range naval drones. The attack helped Ukraine's military regain control of the Petro Hodovalets and Ukrainian drilling platforms, informally known as the Boyko towers, as well as two mobile rigs. The drones were launched by the HUR's elite Raven unit, who have previously carried out sabotage operations behind enemy lines, from small vessels. Ukraine has built up its maritime drone programme over the past year, sinking or damaging multiple Russian vessels and targeting infrastructure in Crimea. • Zelensky suggests drones for missiles 'mega-deal' to Trump• Juliet Samuel: Urgency of the drone wars is passing us by In recent months there have been a string of strikes on radar stations, air defences and ships, using a mix of sea and aerial drones to degrade Russia's naval dominance in the Black Sea. Naval drones have been used to sink or damage at least a dozen Russian vessels, including patrol boats and landing craft. Ukraine has also used sea drones to strike infrastructure in Russian-occupied Crimea, including oil depots, coastal radar stations and the heavily guarded Kerch bridge. In December, Kyiv revealed that it had used a sea drone to launch FPV drones against Russian air defences for the first time, but that attack occurred months after the gas rig strike. FPV drones are flown manually using live video feeds, allowing operators to guide them with precision towards their targets in real time. They have emerged as a relatively new and rapidly evolving technology in warfare, allowing for low-cost, targeted strikes. • Peace deadline shows Trump has run out of patience with Putin Both Ukraine and Russia have been increasingly adopting FPV drones since 2023, adapting commercially available models and fitting them with explosives for kamikaze-style missions. Their manual control and real-time video capability make them highly effective for striking moving or concealed targets. Ukraine has particularly embraced FPV drones as part of its asymmetrical response to Russia's larger arsenal, deploying them in large numbers on the battlefield.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukraine says it destroyed Russian radar in drone attack
May 19 (UPI) -- The Ukrainian military said Monday that the Security Service of Ukraine attacked a Russian facility in the Black Sea with the use of drones. The Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, posted to Telegram Monday that "with the help of surface and air drones,' it destroyed "enemy radars and warehouses" built on gas production platforms. The post also included a video of the attack that showed the approach of the drones from a drone's point of view before a long-distance view of an explosion on the Russian structure. "Within one special operation, SBU specialists used two types of drones that demonstrated the effectiveness of paired work," The SBU said. The assault was carried out by the 13th Main Directorate of the SBU's Military Counter-Intelligence Department and used both aerial and naval drones to target what the Telegram post described as "Russian military infrastructure placed on Ukrainian offshore drilling rigs," known as the Boyko towers. A Russian Neva radar system, stored supplies and living quarters were reportedly destroyed in the attack. The attack destroyed a Russian Neva-B radar system used for monitoring aerial and surface activity, as well as supply storage and living quarters on the platform, the SBU reported. Neva-B radar systems can track as many as 200 targets at one time and is intended to warn of incoming attacks on infrastructure. The SBU purports that through the use of drones, it has so far been able to attack 11 Russian warships and the "Crimean Bridge," a reference to the Kerch Strait Bridge, which linked Crimea to the Russian mainland and was attacked by Ukraine in October of 2022. "We once again reminded the enemy that [there is no place for Russian rubbish] in the Black Sea," the Security Service of Ukraine added.
UPI
19-05-2025
- Politics
- UPI
Ukraine says it destroyed Russian radar in drone attack
May 19 (UPI) -- The Ukrainian military said Monday that the Security Service of Ukraine attacked a Russian facility in the Black Sea with the use of drones. The Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, posted to Telegram Monday that "with the help of surface and air drones,' it destroyed "enemy radars and warehouses" built on gas production platforms. The post also included a video of the attack that showed the approach of the drones from a drone's point of view before a long-distance view of an explosion on the Russian structure. "Within one special operation, SBU specialists used two types of drones that demonstrated the effectiveness of paired work," The SBU said. The assault was carried out by the 13th Main Directorate of the SBU's Military Counter-Intelligence Department and used both aerial and naval drones to target what the Telegram post described as "Russian military infrastructure placed on Ukrainian offshore drilling rigs," known as the Boyko towers. A Russian Neva radar system, stored supplies and living quarters were reportedly destroyed in the attack. The attack destroyed a Russian Neva-B radar system used for monitoring aerial and surface activity, as well as supply storage and living quarters on the platform, the SBU reported. Neva-B radar systems can track as many as 200 targets at one time and is intended to warn of incoming attacks on infrastructure. The SBU purports that through the use of drones, it has so far been able to attack 11 Russian warships and the "Crimean Bridge," a reference to the Kerch Strait Bridge, which linked Crimea to the Russian mainland and was attacked by Ukraine in October of 2022. "We once again reminded the enemy that [there is no place for Russian rubbish] in the Black Sea," the Security Service of Ukraine added.
