Thanks to “Sea Baby”, “Marichka”, “Toloka”: Ukraine is currently winning the war on the Black Sea

What is the situation in the Black Sea?

Ukrainian drone and missile attacks on Russian ships, shipyards, ammunition depots and infrastructure drove large parts of the Black Sea Fleet from Crimea last year. In the autumn, Vladimir Putin (71) had his landing ships, frigates and submarines moved from their main base in Sevastopol to the port of Novorossiysk, 300 kilometers east, in the Russian interior. A defeat for Russia, a success for Ukraine. Although Russia continues to bomb Ukrainian ports with long-range missiles, the attacks have little effect on the sea. However, Russia’s so-called ‘ghost mines’, which float in the water, are still dangerous to shipping.

What does Russia’s weakness mean for grain exports?

Although the Kremlin canceled the corridor for Ukrainian and international cargo ships negotiated with the UN in July 2023, it failed to block the sea route. Ukraine allows merchant ships to sail to and from its ports near its coast. So far without any major incidents. The water there is shallow and safe for Russian submarines. Since then, grain exports to the Middle East have returned to pre-war levels.

What does Zelensky plan to do with Crimea?

As Ukrainian and Russian forces exhaust themselves in grueling trench warfare on the national front, the effectiveness of the Ukrainian Navy is becoming increasingly apparent. The ultimate goal is the reconquest of Crimea. Because, according to Zelensky’s calculations, if the peninsula fell back to Ukraine, it would mean the end of the war. Crimea has a strong symbolic value for Russia. It represents the power of the Black Sea Fleet and that of the Kremlin boss. Their loss could mean the political end for Putin.

What weapons will Ukraine use to defeat the Russian Goliath?

Because the country does not have a large naval force, it is dependent on drone ships and targeted missile fire. In fact, the Black Sea Fleet was driven from Crimea without the deployment of a single warship. The power of hi-tech weapons has already been demonstrated in the past. For example, in April 2022, two Ukrainian Neptune anti-ship missiles sank the Russian flagship Moskva. Five months later, cruise missiles attack Russian submarines in Crimea. Since the summer, the state-of-the-art unattended surface drone ‘Sea Baby’ has been used to attack the Crimean Bridge, a Russian landing ship and a patrol boat. In December and January 2024, Ukrainian naval drones apparently sank two more Russian warships.

How do “Sea Bay”, “Marichka” and “Toloka” work?

The unmanned surface drone ‘Sea Baby’ can carry 850 kilos of explosives and has a range of 1,000 meters. The sister’s name is “Marichka”, in German “Mariechen”. It is an unmanned underwater drone and has a capacity of 500 kilos of explosives. Both can hardly be located by radar systems.

The kamikaze drones are just the vanguard. Volodymyr Selensky (46) is planning an entire drone army, the ‘First Ukrainian Robotic Navy’, or ‘Fury’ for short. Underwater drones in the shape of sperm whales or rays will soon be deployed. The fully autonomous underwater boats are up to twelve meters long and can transport 5,000 kilos of explosives. As ‘Futurezone’ reports, the drones are already in the water and ‘lurking’ on Russian warships. Ukrainian military technology cluster Brave1 has presented the prototype “Toloka” – equipped with 3D sonar, hydrophone system and cameras. According to the military portal Militarnyi, the underwater drone can independently scan the environment. Ultimately, Ukraine would also like to have the ‘Orca’. With a length of 25 meters, the largest unmanned submarine is manufactured by Boeing.