Ukraine has launched an “historic strike” in Crimea as it used a sea drone to down a Russia helicopter for the first time.
Footage shared by HUR, Kyiv’s military intelligence, showed the drone bobbing with the waves as the Russian aircraft hovered above.
The attack happened in the Black Sea using a Magura V5 to destroy the Russian Mi-8 helicopter near Cape Tarkhankut in the occupied Crimea.
Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) ended the black and white video recording of the strike with a Happy New Year message.
In a social media post, the ministry said: “On December 31, 2024, soldiers of the GUR special unit Group 13 of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine for the first time in history hit an air target using a Magura V5 sea drone equipped with missile weapons.
“Defence Intelligence warriors destroyed an aerial target using a Magura V5 naval drone.
“A Russian Mi-8 helicopter was destroyed using R-73 SeeDragon missiles near Cape Tarkhankut in temporarily occupied Crimea. Another enemy helicopter was damaged and returned to the airfield.”
The unmanned seacraft has proven to be a game-changer in the naval battle between the two forces, pushing Putin’s ships out of the waters around Crimea and back to Russian ports.
The footage, which has been shared widely on social media, shows a black and white recording taken from the drone as it bobs in the sea before a burst of missiles is fired towards the helicopter above, causing it to plummet into the sea.
Ukraine has taken the use of drones in warfare to new levels since the invasion of Russian forces in 2022.
Their reliability and low cost have made them an invaluable resource, allowing Ukraine to recce Russian movements and position as well as enabling them to strike expensive-high tech Russian capabilities such as aircraft and armoured vehicles.
The downed Mi-8 helicopter comes with a reported upfront cost of £12 million plus maintenance and repair costs, whereas the modified Magura drone which downed it can be developed for around £200,000.
The Magura drones have several modifications and can be designed to explode on impact with their target.
At just 5.5 metres long and with a range of 500 miles, the drones are a battle winning asset which can be packed with as much as 300g of explosives.
