Russian forces lose Tarantul type ship to marine drones in occupied Crimea

The Ukrainian-Tatar resistance movement claims that the ship met its end in Sevastopol. The local shipyard and nearby areas are consistently targeted by Ukrainian forces. Previously, Ukrainian efforts resulted in the destruction of a submarine and a project 775 landing ship (Ropucha). The Storm Shadow maneuvering missiles, provided by Great Britain, were likely used during these operations. Meanwhile, marine drones appear to have been utilized in the destruction of the 205P Tarantul type ship.

"It was most likely obliterated a few weeks ago during a marine drone attack on the occupiers' military targets. The Russians lost another significant weapon in the Black Sea. Congratulations," - read a brief message posted on the Atesh group's Telegram profile.

Ukrainian media recall that the ship initially belonged to the defending army. Its destruction was not random; the vessel was confiscated by occupying forces during the 2014 annexation of Crimea. Since then, they have actively employed the ship for combat purposes.

The project 205P Tarantul (Stenka in NATO code), is a series of patrol boats constructed between 1967 and 1990, modified from the base model of Osa rocket cutters.

The 205P Tarantul-type ships measure 123 feet in length and can reach up to 38 knots. The manufacturers armed them with a double-barreled AK-230 naval cannon cal. 30 mm and a cal. 12.7 mm machine gun. Furthermore, they can be equipped with torpedoes for combating submarines and carry up to 12 depth charges.

The Atesh group hasn’t confirmed the specific weapon responsible for the damage to this unit. Marine drones have grown increasingly important since the onset of the war, with the Ukrainian army deploying many such unmanned devices.

While some of these drones are relatively simple in design, advanced models are increasingly being deployed against Russian forces. Among these are the MAGURA V5 (Maritime Autonomous Guard Unmanned Robotic Apparatus) drones, boasting a payload capacity of up to 705 lbs, with approximately 441 lbs available for combat load. Similar drones, such as the Sea Baby, are regularly implemented near Crimea, having been employed in strikes on the Crimea Bridge and in destroying several Russian vessels, including Project 22160 ships.