Ukrainian Drones Hit Russian Patrol Boats and Maritime Patrol Aircraft
On Saturday, Ukraine's armed forces renewed their campaign of drone strikes on the naval harbor at Sevastopol, hitting two patrol ships - and proving that the port remains high-risk for Russian assets.
In a statement, Ukraine's general staff said that its drone forces hit two border guard ships moored near the town of Inkerman in Crimea, at the easternmost end of Sevastopol Bay. The vessels damaged were Project 22460 Rubin-class fast patrol boats, a vessel class previously targeted in the Caspian in December. Battle damage assessments were not released.
In addition, the drone operation hit two Be-12 turboprop aircraft at a repair plant in Yevptoria. The Be-12 is an amphibious maritime patrol aircraft fitted for antisubmarine warfare, and has been used by Russian forces to find and track Ukrainian drone boats for interception. Open-source intelligence analysts note that the Yevptoria repair site had a small collection of defunct Be-12 airframes that have been used for parts, and it is unclear whether the example struck Saturday was in airworthy condition. Even if a mothballed plane were destroyed, its elimination could assist in keeping the few other surviving examples of the aircraft on the ground.
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Ukraine previously targeted and destroyed two Be-12s in September 2025, likely a world-first for a drone strike. The amphibious aircraft are a priority target for Ukraine, as they are a rare, irreplaceable asset and a key part of Russia's defenses against maritime attack - particularly unmanned-sub attack. Ukraine is transitioning to submersible attack drones for top-priority missions, and the Be-12 is one of the few Russian platforms capable of detecting and combating submersibles in the Black Sea region.
The strikes highlight the Crimean region's vulnerability to attack, which is the reason why Russia's naval forces have largely abandoned Sevastopol, the Soviet-era home of the Black Sea Fleet. Previous strikes have hit a Kilo-class sub, several tank landing ships, and the fleet's headquarters building, among other assets at the port. The Russian Navy has pulled back to the relative safety of the port of Novorossiysk, further from Ukraine's shores - but it remains vulnerable to long-range drones.
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