Why Russian warships are helpless against Ukrainian suicide boats

Russian warship sailors discovered the Ukrainian suicide boat and tried to shoot it down, but were helpless against the closely coordinated Ukrainian attack.

Video released by Russian Telegram channels last week shows sailors on the landing ship Cesar Kunikov of Russia's Black Sea Fleet scanning the sea with searchlights when they spot a Ukrainian MAGURA V5 suicide boat approaching at night.

The Russian sailors continuously fired machine guns and infantry weapons at the suicide boat, while it maneuvered away to find a suitable angle of attack. But this was just one of many MAGURA V5 boats deployed by Ukraine to carry out a coordinated attack.

"The crew tried to repel the attack by suicide boats of the Ukrainian navy using all available means in a 20-minute battle. Of the 10 suicide boats, the first four were destroyed. The fifth one hit the stern, causing the warship to lose its maneuverability," a Russian Telegram channel said.

After the Cesar Kunikov stopped moving, the Ukrainian suicide boat continued to ram the rear half of the warship's hull on the port side in an attempt to capsize the ship. The ninth boat crashed into the hole in the hull and almost exploded inside.

Ukrainian suicide boat attacks Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov — A Ukrainian suicide boat attacks the Russian landing ship Cesar Kunikov in a video released on March 6. Video: *Fighter Bomber*

"There is no way to save the ship that is listing to port," Fighter Bomber, account Telegram of a Russian fighter pilot, said. "From the time the Ukrainian suicide boat was discovered until the warship was completely submerged, it was more than 40 minutes. The crew left the warship by lifeboat, without any loss of personnel, taking all the classified documents and some sensitive equipment with them."

A 10th Ukrainian suicide boat in the distance tracked the sinking warship Cesar Kunikov, then tried to attack the accompanying tugboat but was shot down by its crew.

The Main Directorate of Military Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) earlier released a video showing several of its suicide boats racing towards the Russian warship. The video also showed the ship’s bridge on fire, along with several machine gun bullets fired from the Russian warship as the suicide boats approached.

"The video shows how well-planned and coordinated these attacks are. Ukraine uses a suicide boat as a decoy to distract the Russian crew, while several others repeatedly target weak points on the ship's hull," TWZ editor Thomas Newdick commented.

Ukraine's suicide boat tactics to attack Russian warships — Ukrainian suicide boat approaches Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov on February 14. Video: *Ukrainian Ministry of Defense*

According to Newdick, the sinking of the Caesar Kunikov shows how Russia's Black Sea Fleet "continues to be vulnerable to Ukrainian attacks, especially those involving suicide boats."

This coordinated tactic also appears to have been used by Ukraine in the February 6 attack that left the patrol boat Sergey Kotov badly damaged and sinking. Video released by Russian media shows the crew of the Sergey Kotov spotting several Ukrainian suicide boats approaching from behind and opening fire to stop them.

However, the suicide boats following the Sergey Kotov did not attack, but instead tried to force the warship to move into open water outside the port town of Feodosia, Forbes editor David Axe said. There, another group of Ukrainian suicide boats lay in wait and simultaneously attacked the Sergey Kotov.

"Instead of operating individual boats to try to penetrate the area where the Russian warships were anchored, Ukraine used a swarm attack tactic using an ambush," Axe said. This showed that the Ukrainian suicide boat operators coordinated very closely when launching attacks, overwhelming and even cornering the Russian warships.

Tactics help Ukraine sink Russian ships with suicide boats — Ukrainian suicide boat follows Russian patrol boat Sergey Kotov during attack on March 5. Video: *RusVesna*

Video released by Ukrainian intelligence shows Magura V5 suicide boats attacking both sides of the Sergey Kotov. At least one suicide boat crashes into the hole in the Sergey Kotov's hull created by the previous attack, then explodes inside.

The US-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said Russian forces attempted to tow the warship Sergey Kotov back to port after the attack. However, the damage was so severe that the ship sank off the southeastern coast of the Crimean peninsula.

Ukraine claims the Sergey Kotov cost about $65 million, while a Magura V5 suicide boat costs about $250,000. "If Ukraine used five Magura V5s to attack the Sergey Kotov, they spent about $1.5 million on the attack," Forbes editor Eric Tegler assessed.

Ukraine claims to have sunk a $65 million Russian warship — Ukrainian suicide boat attacks Russian patrol boat Sergey Kotov on March 5. Video: *GUR*

Newdick said the video of the attack on the amphibious assault ship Caesar Kunikov "shows the grim reality of a surface warship under attack from a new threat, and the last-minute efforts to protect the ship in vain."

“This could prompt a new approach by the Russian navy,” Newdick said. “The video also highlights the challenge of defending against a coordinated attack by multiple suicide boats.”

Nguyen Tien (According to TWZ, AFP, Forbes, Reuters )

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