BLOWN TO BITS
Watch dramatic POV video of Ukrainian kamikaze sea drone blowing up Putin’s £51m warship the Sergey Kotov corvette
Last month, Ukrainian special forces blasted another of Putin's ships off the coast of Crimea - killing all onboard
THIS is the dramatic moment Putin's prized Sergey Kotov patrol ship is blown to pieces by a swarm of Ukrainian jet-ski-powered sea drones.
Footage shows the £51million vessel being hit multiple times in the early morning strike near Feodosia, in occupied Crimea.
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The video shows the warship being blown up in a huge blast that eventually led to its sinking.
The attack forced Kremlin officials to close Putin's prized Kerch bridge to Crimea.
It comes days after a Naval Special Forces raid ended in disaster for Ukraine.
Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the strike and said the ship was entirely destroyed by its Magura V5 maritime drones.
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The warship "sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides" which led it to sink.
"The fire defeat of the Kotov occurred in the territorial waters of Ukraine, not far from the Kerch Strait," a statement read.
It is not the first time Ukraine had targeted and damaged the vessel as the Kotov survived a similar attack in August which sank the 4,000 ton amphibious assault ship Olenegorskiy Gornyak.
One of Vladimir Putin’s most modern warships, the 308ft long patrol vessel Sergey Kotov came into service during the war in 2022.
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The ship normally has a crew of 80 - and the fate of those on board remains unclear.
The strike is a major blow to Putin's crumbling Black Sea fleet as it would mark the 23th Russian warship to either be sunk or destroyed by Ukraine since Putin unleashed his bloodbath invasion two years ago.
Last month, a squad of Ukrainian special officers blasted the 369ft Caesar Kunikov off the southern coast of annexed Crimea - killing everyone onboard.
This morning's strike came on a night when the Crimean Bridge - the key transport link from Russia to the annexed territory - was also under sustained attack.
The £3 billion crossing was closed to traffic for at least nine hours but Russian sources denied the structure was damaged.
At least five “powerful explosions” were heard in Kerch, at the Crimean end of the 12-mile road and rail crossing.
Nine trains were blocked - four from Crimea and five to the peninsula, reported RIA Novosti state news outlet.
While there was no official confirmation from Russia on the Sergey Kotov, pro-war outlets on Putin’s side admitted the loss of the vessel.
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“As a result of an attack by unmanned boats of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Black Sea Fleet patrol ship of project 22160 Sergey Kotov was lost,” reported Russian Telegram channel Military informant.
“The crew is alive.”
Later Ukrainian GUR military intelligence claimed the warship had been hit by “maritime drones” early on Tuesday.
“All details of the defeat and the further fate of the ship are still being clarified,” reported Ukrainian Pravda.
Pro-Putin war channel Rybar reported the Kotov had sunk, saying the crew’s fate was unclear.
Military channel Two Majors also acknowledged the warship had been attacked by kamikaze sea drones.
The channel denied there was damage to the Crimean Bridge.
“One of the targets was the Crimean Bridge. The bridge is fine, the attack was repulsed.”
The bridge was reported to be finally open again after 8am local time today following the nine-hour closure.
Pro-war blogger Alexander Kots said: “The [Ukrainian] enemy had been chasing this patrol ship for a long time.
“Official reports alone included at least three attacks on it by unmanned boats.
“The crew fought heroically until the end. This can be seen from the published video.
“But this time it was a story without a happy ending.”
The Kotov was armed with a 76 mm AK-176MA artillery launcher, the Shtil-1 multi-channel anti-aircraft missile system, short-range anti-aircraft missile system 3M-47 Gibka, two small-sized remote-controlled anti-diversion grenade launchers DP-65.
Ka-27PS helicopters could be based on the vessel.
Separately, Ukraine shot down 18 of the 22 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia overnight, reported the Kyiv air force.
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Mobile fire groups and anti-aircraft missile units of the Ukrainian Air Force repelled an intense attack over Odesa region.
And another strike saw the Russian Gubkin oil depot being engulfed in flames in the Belgorod region.
Russia's naval losses
VLADIMIR Putin has been left red-faced by a series of naval losses during the Ukriane war.
February 2024 - Putin's £55m Black Sea missile ship Ivanovets sinks as well as the Caesar Kunikov landing
December 2023 - Novocherkassk landing ship destroyed
November 2023 - Putin's newest missile ship Askold wrecked before setting sail
September 2023 - Feared Black Sea Fleet HQ blown up
September 2023 - Submarine Rostov-on-Don and Minsk landing shop attacked by missiles
August 2023 - Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship seriously damaged
June 2022 - Naval tugboat Vasily Bekh blown up
May 2022 - Ukrainian drone wipes out Russian high-speed assault boat
April 2022 - Black Sea flagship Moskva sinks after attack
March 2022 - Russian Navy Alligator-class landing ship catches fire
March 2022 - Raptor-class patrol boats hit and damaged by missiles
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