Ivan Stupak, an advisor to the national security, defense, and intelligence committee of the Ukrainian parliament, claims that the most recent attack by Ukraine against Russian naval forces in the Black Sea was motivated by submarine tactics used in World War II.
Stupak was a former Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) officer.
While the Kremlin calculates the cost of yet another unexpected naval strike, lessons from history were considered in the nocturnal sinking of the Ropucha-class Caesar Kunikov landing ship.
According to Stupak, the ‘Wolfpack’ strategy, which included a large-scale assault by submarines on an enemy ship exploiting numerical advantages, was discontinued after WWII in the Atlantic Ocean. A new Ukrainian technique, the so-called “swarm of drones,” emerged in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. Ukrainian navy drones reportedly struck and destroyed a sixth Russian Black Sea Fleet landing ship since the conflict began on Wednesday, according to Kyiv.
According to the Ukrainian military, since February 2022, they have “destroyed” 25 ships and vessels belonging to the Russian army, including one submarine.
The Ukrainian drones besieged the Caesar Kunikov, and it took significant damage to its port side and started to sink. Although six Ukrainian drones were shot down, the sinking of the Caesar Kunikov in the Black Sea remains unconfirmed by the Russian military. Even the Kremlin has been silent on the matter.
A mission to rescue up to 87 crew members was “unsuccessful,” and the majority of them have perished, according to Ukraine’s primary intelligence agency, which said that the Caesar Kunikov sustained severe holes in its port side. The assault employs Ukrainian-made Magura V5 unmanned drones, which can reach speeds of up to 42 nm/s while flying just over the water’s surface. As Ukrainian naval forces refine their asymmetric maritime tactics and Moscow’s naval casualties rise, the Kremlin is confronted with tough decisions.
As Russia’s navy losses increase and Ukraine refines its asymmetric maritime strategy, Stupak presented three choices to Moscow. If Russian warships decide to stay, they could have to resort to “convoy tactics,” in which smaller ships encircle larger ones, forcing them to neutralize attacking drones or expose themselves.
According to Kyiv, the missile-armed corvette Ivanovets of President Vladimir Putin’s Black Sea Fleet was destroyed near seized Crimea by Ukrainian naval drones, forcing the fleet to alter tactics.
