Ukrainian drone likely sinks Russian missile ship 'Ivanovets', marking a significant loss for Russian Navy

According to Ukraine's Ministry of Defense's official statement on the X portal, "The special unit 'Group 13' of the Ukrainian intelligence destroyed the missile corvette 'Ivanovets' belonging to the Russian Black Sea Fleet. A series of accurate hits on the hull caused the corvette to be critically damaged, capsized, and sink. The estimated value of the lost ship is around 60–70 million dollars."

"Send your regards to the cruiser 'Moscow' and Sponge Bob," added journalist Ilya Ponomarenko, alluding to the Russian warship "Moscow" sinking in April 2022.

Ukrainian media reports that the "Ivanovets" was likely sunk on the evening of January 31 to early hours of February 1.

During the attack, the enemy vessel was reportedly located at Lake Donuzlav in the temporarily occupied region of Crimea. Initial reports suggest that the rescue operation conducted by Russians at Donuzlav was unsuccessful.

Russian Black Sea Fleet operates at least five other ships similar to the sunken "Ivanovets", according to official sources. The standard crew size for such vessels is around 40 people.

The Russian cruiser "Moscow" sank in mid-April 2022. A fire had broken out on the ship of the Black Sea Fleet, which the Ukrainian Armed Forces also targeted. The boat went under during an attempt to tow it to the Sevastopol coast during a storm.

Experts suggest that the loss of the cruiser, which had been involved in the attack on the Ukrainian Snake Island, was a significant setback for the Russian Navy— both militarily and in terms of their reputation.