The defeat of a Russian submarine in the port of Novorossiysk was the result of an extremely complex and carefully planned operation, said the spokesman for the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Dmytro Pletenchuk. In an interview with Ukrainian media, he emphasized that the attack was carried out jointly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Navy and included the development of special means of defeat, as well as strict planning in order to prevent information leakage. This was reported by UNIAN.
According to Pletenchuk, the operation was particularly difficult due to the high level of protection of the naval base in Novorossiysk. He noted that in recent months the Russian Navy has avoided keeping its ships, including submarines, in the open sea due to the risk of strikes, which forces them to hide in their bases. At the same time, the specific location of the port and difficult navigation in the autumn-winter period further complicate any actions in the area.
According to the Ukrainian side, at the time of the attack, the Russian forces did not expect an immediate threat. Pletenchuk stressed that the operation was "multi-layered" - from the development of strike means to the final coordination of actions on the ground. He added that the training of submarine crews takes more than a year, which makes the loss of such a warship particularly sensitive.
The Ukrainian military also indicated that Russia continues to actively build submarines, mainly in St. Petersburg. Currently, there are two submarines of the project 636.3 "Varshavyanka", intended for the Black Sea Fleet, which, however, could not return to the Black Sea after the start of the war due to the closure of the Bosphorus by Turkey in accordance with the Montreux Convention of 1936.
On December 15, the SBU and the Navy of Ukraine announced that they had conducted a special operation in Novorossiysk, in which for the first time in history, Sub Sea Baby underwater drones hit a submarine of the "Varshavyanka" class. According to Ukrainian services, the submarine received critical damage and was put out of action. It was a carrier of "Kalibur" cruise missiles, and its value is estimated at about $400 million.
Analysts from the military portal Defense Express point out that the released video shows an explosion in the stern of the submarine, which suggests damage to the propellers, steering mechanism and other key systems, depriving the ship of combat capability. However, the Russian Black Sea Fleet denies that the submarine was damaged and claims that the sabotage did not achieve its goals.
According to Pletenchuk, this is the second Russian submarine lost since the beginning of the war, which he described as "an anti-record", since no country has lost a submarine under similar circumstances since World War II.