The Russian Defense Ministry has released UAV footage of a naval drone strike on the Ukrainian reconnaissance ship Simferopol.
Kiev confirmed to the media on Thursday that the vessel had been hit.
The Simferopol was struck by a “Russian high-speed unmanned boat at the mouth of the Danube River,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
“As a result of the attack, the Ukrainian Navy ship sank,” it added.
The ministry also published aerial footage taken from a UAV showing the moment of impact.
The video, taken on a thermal camera, shows a vessel in the mouth of the river light up in a fireball. Two other ships can be seen in the vicinity.
A Ukrainian Navy spokesperson has confirmed the strike in a comment to the Kiev Independent.
“Efforts to address the aftermath of the attack are ongoing. The majority of the crew are safe, and the search for several missing sailors continues,” the spokesperson said, adding that at least one member of the crew had been killed, and several others injured.
The attack marked the first successful use of a Russian naval drone against a Ukrainian vessel, TASS noted, citing drone experts.
Ukraine’s navy has not played a large role in the conflict, but Moscow has previously accused Kiev of using civilian ships as launching platforms for its sea drones.
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