The Sun – Roaring through reeds on a speedboat with a machine-gun lashed to the foredeck, The Sun joined Ukraine’s heroic defenders waging a “secret river war”.

Navy Lookout – In this initial analysis written in response to unfolding events, we explore some of the potential implications of Ukrainian success in using USVs to attack the Russians in the Black Sea.

BBC – A Russian tanker with 11 crew members has been hit in a Ukrainian attack in the Black Sea, Russian officials say.

BBC – A Russian naval ship has been damaged in a Ukrainian naval drone attack in the Black Sea. The assault reportedly occurred near the Russian port of Novorossiysk, which is a major hub for Russian exports.

Covert Shores – Video footage shared by Russian sources of one of the USV involved on the July 16 attack appears to show a modified jet ski design. 

(Thanks to Alain)

Lawfare – With a little help from its friends, Ukraine can guard its maritime security in the Black Sea and protect its critical grain exports.

War Zone – A Ukrainian drone boat attack nearly 400 miles from the closest shore Kyiv controls would mark a new level of capability.

Naval News – Two mine countermeasure (MCM) vessels, “Chernihiv” and “Cherkasy” were commissioned with the Ukrainian Navy.

CNN – The 34-foot vessel speeds along Ukraine’s Dnipro River at maximum velocity, before its captain shouts: “Hold!” It does a snap turn and then smoothly moves on, in a seamless motion, barely slowing down. With little armor, the US-donated Dauntless Sea Ark patrol boat relies on speed to evade attacks, and its impressive maneuverability is a key asset for Ukraine’s recently established river fleet.

War Zone – Conflicting imagery and accounts add to the mystery of what really happened to the Russian Navy’s Ivan Khurs intelligence ship.

Naval News – Ukraine is becoming known for using unconventional naval vessels against the Russian Navy. It’s ‘maritime drones’, which are robot boats loaded with explosives, have helped shape the war in the Black Sea. Now a new maritime drone has been revealed, one which operates like a small submarine.

Naval News – Today’s attack on Sevastopol harbor by Ukrainian maritime drones (uncrewed surface vessels armed with explosives) will make headlines. And rightly so. Yet there is an aspect which could easily be overlooked; this time none of Ukraine’s drone’s appeared to penetrate the harbor. The attack comes as Russia undertakes a massive effort to increase the harbor’s protection against these attacks.

Naval News – According to several reports and footage circulating on social media, Ukraine has launched a new drone attack on the Sevastopol naval base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet yesterday. Unmanned aircraft (UAV) and unmanned surface vessels (USV) were reportedly used in the attack.

Naval News – During a visit to Odessa and Mykolajiv, Dutch Defense Minister Kaisa Ollongren announced that the Netherlands will donate Alkmaar-class mine countermeasure vessels to Ukraine.

RUSI – Given that building anti-submarine warfare capabilities along Western lines would require significant time and resources, how can Ukraine best counter the Russian submarine threat?

Naval News – The February 28 2023 drone strike on Tuapse shows the growing distances of Ukraine’s attacks. The strategic port is located on the Russian coast north of Sochi. The implication is simple: no Russian base in the Black Sea is beyond Ukraine’s reach.

BBC – Ukraine has denied any involvement in September’s attack on the Nord Stream pipelines, which were built to carry Russian natural gas to Germany. The denial follows a report from the New York Times, which cites anonymous US intelligence officials who suggest a pro-Ukrainian group was to blame.

Breaking Defense – “You’ve seen the Russian effectiveness from the maritime has been declining. The very reason [is] that the Ukrainians have become better at targeting and using the weapons that we that we provided them,” said CNO Adm. Michael Gilday.

Naval News – Two things are happening in the Black Sea which together could shift the dynamic in Russia’s favor. Russia has copied Ukraine’s’ maritime drones and started using them. At the same time, a decision by Elon Musk to limit Starlink use may stop Ukraine using their own.

RUSI – The use of uncrewed surface vessels by Ukraine to inflict damage on the Russian navy has attracted widespread attention. But does it really herald a new era of naval warfare as some are suggesting?

Naval News – It appears that a Ukrainian maritime drone, similar to those using in an attack on Sevastopol, has struck Novorossiysk. This would be strategically important, showing that more of the Russian Navy is under threat. Efforts may be underway to suppress this story in Russian media.

Naval News – While analysts and experts are still talking about Ukraine’s shocking kamikaze attack on Russian warships at the Sevastopol naval base, Ukraine has launched a new fundraising campaign to build an unmanned surface fleet.

(Thanks to Alain)

The War Zone – Ukraine hopes to raise enough money to build 100 of these unmanned surface vessels to counter Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

USNI News – The United States will send 40 armored riverine boats to Ukraine as part of the latest assistance package.

Navy Lookout – On 29th October an attack was mounted on Russian Black Sea Fleet units using uncrewed boats and aircraft. Here we examine what is known about the events, the implications for the war in Ukraine and more widely for other navies.