Ukrainian drone boats chased down the Russian missile-corvette Sergei Kotov on Tuesday.
The 308-foot, 1,700-ton Project 22160 corvette reportedly sank off of Feodosiya in southeastern Crimea. If confirmed, the sinking would extend the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s losing streak as Russia’s wider war on Ukraine grinds into its third year.
Since February 2022 the Ukrainians have blown up or sunk four Russian landing ships, a cruiser, a submarine, a supply ship, several patrol boats and small landing craft and now two missile-corvettes.
These losses amount to nearly a quarter of the Black Sea Fleet. In losing—to Ukrainian rockets, cruise missiles and drone boats—warships together displacing around 17,000 tons, the Russian navy nearly has erased the 18,000 tons of new warships it built last year.
The Project 22160s are unique to the Black Sea Fleet. The Russian navy is producing a total of six of the 80-person vessels. And the Ukrainian navy for months has been trying to sink the four Project 22160s that already are in service.
Sergei Kotov reportedly fended off an explosives-laden Magura V5 drone boat back in September. A month later, one of the 18-foot drones scored a glancing blow on sister ship Pavel Derzhavin. Five months after that, Ukraine’s drones returned for Sergei Kotov—and, reportedly, finally sank her.
