Ukraine claims its sea drones sank Russian warship in Black Sea. Moscow says US-made Patriot missiles downed its plane

Ukraine claimed it used sea drones to sink a small Russian warship in the Black Sea as Russian investigators alleged that a Russian military transport plane that crashed last month was brought down by two US-made Patriot missiles fired by Kyiv’s forces. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known by its Ukrainian acronym GUR, published a video on Thursday that it said showed naval drones assaulting the Russian missile-armed corvette Ivanovets on Wednesday night. The footage released on GUR’s social media purports to show multiple naval drones crashing into a vessel and exploding. According to GUR, the ship costing US$60 million-US$70 million was on patrol on Lake Donuzlav in western Crimea, when a GUR special unit struck it. The lake has been more of a bay since 1961, when a channel connecting it to the Black Sea was dug out. #працюєГУР 🔥 «Івановєц» на дні ― внаслідок спецоперації ГУР МО знищено ракетний корабель ворога 🔗 https://t.co/b8MQb3KJrk pic.twitter.com/Tu6uuaF2rt — Defence intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) February 1, 2024 Disinformation has been part of the grinding war, which marks its second anniversary on February 24, and it was not possible to independently verify either side’s claims. The private security firm Ambrey said Ukraine used up to six sea drones, each of which usually carry 300kg (660 pounds) of explosives, in the attack. The GUR footage showed the ship was sinking. Russia, Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners a week after military plane shot down Russian officials made no immediate comment on the Ivanovets. A Western official backed the Ukrainian account, saying it was “highly likely that uncrewed surface vessels were responsible for the strike on the Ivanovets”. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss intelligence. Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft and ships in the Black Sea have helped push Moscow’s naval forces back, allowing Kyiv to increase crucial exports of grain and other goods through its southern ports. Ambrey, the security company, noted that any unexploded drones could be a threat for Black Sea shipping. Ukraine’s army chief, General Valerii Zaluznhyi, on Thursday called the development of unmanned weapons systems “a central driver of this war” in an opinion piece published by CNN. Zaluzhnyi has occasionally penned opinion articles in Western media during the war with Russia. His last one was in November. Zaluzhnyi’s latest essay came out as rumours swirled about his looming dismissal amid a purported rift with President Volodymyr Zelensky. In it, the general outlined his assessment of the state of the war and laid out priorities for Ukraine in 2024, while also addressing the challenge of drafting more soldiers into the army – a reported source of tension between him and Ukraine’s leader. “We must acknowledge the significant advantage enjoyed by the enemy in mobilising human resources and how that compares with the inability of state institutions in Ukraine to improve the manpower levels of our armed forces without the use of unpopular measures,” Zaluzhnyi wrote. Questions swirl over future of Ukraine’s popular ‘Iron General’ Another problem, he said, is “production bottlenecks – in ammunition, for instance – which further deepen Ukraine’s dependence on its allies for supplies”. The general listed three areas Ukraine should focus its main efforts on in 2024: “Creating a system to provide our armed forces with hi-tech assets. Introducing a new philosophy of training and warfare which takes account of restrictions in assets and how they can be deployed. And mastering new combat capabilities as soon as possible”. Meanwhile, Russia’s Investigative Committee, the main state criminal investigation agency, said Thursday it deduced that the Russian Il-76 military transport plane that crashed near the border with Ukraine on January 24 was downed using the US-made Patriot air defence system, which Western allies have supplied to Kyiv. Russian officials claimed there were 74 people on board, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, six crew members and three Russian servicemen. All were reported killed. The two missiles were fired by the Ukrainian military from near the village of Lyptsi in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine, it said. The committee said in a statement that 116 fragments of two MIM-104A missiles that were fired from the Patriot system were found near the crash site in the Belgorod region. It produced no physical evidence for its claims. Also on Thursday, European Union leaders overcame months of opposition from Hungarian leader Viktor Orban to agree €50 billion (US$54 billion) of aid for Ukraine. The deal to keep funds flowing to Ukraine comes as doubts over support from Kyiv’s Western backers have buoyed Russian President Vladimir Putin, nearly two years into his invasion of the neighbouring country. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the European Union for the funds, which he called “long-awaited”. “Today the EU has made a long-awaited decision,” Zelensky said in his evening address. “This is a clear signal to Moscow that Europe will withstand and that Europe will not be broken,” he continued. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz voiced hope that the EU decision could assist US President Joe Biden in convincing reluctant Republicans to pass Washington’s own US$60 billion proposal for support for Ukraine. Additional reporting by Agence France-Presse