For the first time ever, a satellite guided Ukrainian naval drone hit and destroyed the Russian missile corvette, the Ivanovets, in the Black Sea near the Crimea on February 1. The sinking of the Ivanovets marks the first instance in modern warfare where a warship in full combat readiness was annihilated by a coordinated drone attack at sea.

The Ivanovets was a Project 12411 missile corvette known for its armament with supersonic Moskit P-270 anti-ship missiles and a crew of 40. It was engaged near the Donuzlav naval base in Crimea. Six Ukrainian Magura V5 maritime drones, operated by the Group 13 unit of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, infiltrated the base undetected and launched a sequential assault on the corvette, which was actively patrolling and safeguarding the base at the time.

While the war has come to a stalemate on the battlefield, one of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's biggest boasts for the military campaign in 2023 is that Ukraine has largely driven Russia’s navy out of its home ports in the Crimea and has sunk numerous expensive Russian ships, starting with the navy’s flagship Moskva, despite the fact that Ukraine doesn’t have a navy of it own.

Despite the Ivanovets’ potential for high-speed evasion, exceeding 30 knots, the suddenness of the drone attack left no time for the vessel to accelerate. Initial strikes strategically disabled the ship's propulsion by targeting the stern's propellers from both starboard and port sides, rendering it immobile and vulnerable to subsequent attacks, according to reports on social media.

Subsequent drone impacts were coordinated, with one striking the midsection of the hull, directly under the missile launchers, creating a significant breach. The precision of the attacks created a hole that allowed for subsequent drones to penetrate the hull, resulting in a catastrophic explosion that detonated the onboard Moskit missiles, leading to the corvette's total destruction.

As bne IntelliNews reported, Ukraine is switching tactics and adopting tactics that increasingly rely on a deadly drone war that has countered Russia’s superiority in both manpower and shell fire rate.

Online video indicates the crew's attempt to counter the drone assault with close-range machine gun fire, although the drones' small size, speed, and agility rendered these efforts ineffective. Notably, the ship's primary anti-aircraft artillery systems appeared unactivated during the attack, further compromising its defensive capabilities.

This operation showcases the high level of tactical planning, intelligence, and execution by the Ukrainian forces, particularly the Group 13 commanders, whose approach has been hailed for its strategic ingenuity. The intent behind deploying a group of drones was to ensure the complete destruction of the target, thereby maximising the inflicted damage.

The Ivanovets was destroyed by six Ukrainian-made Magura V5 naval drones, the head of Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Agency Kyrylo Budanov said in a comment to TheWarZone.

“The attack took place more than 130 miles from the nearest Ukrainian port, though it is possible the USVs could have been launched from a mothership further out into the Black Sea. Budanov declined to specify the USV’s launch point. During the destruction of the specified ship, six direct hits by naval drones were made to the hull of the ship. As a result of the damage, the ship rolled astern and sank," it is reported in the Telegram channel of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine on Sunday.

Magura (Marine Autonomous Security Unmanned Robotic Vehicle) is a multi-purpose system that allows for surveillance, reconnaissance, mine warfare, search and rescue and combat missions, Interfax Ukraine reported.