A monster Ukrainian underwater drone that poses a serious threat to Vladimir Putin’s £3 billion Crimean Bridge has been shown off to the world in new video footage. The TOLOKA drone in question weighs five tonnes and has a whopping 1,250 mile range, and could soon be deployed against the remaining ships of Russia’s decimated Black Sea Fleet and the transport link.
Ukraine’s world-beating drone developers unveiled their latest innovation at the Brave1 Defence Tech Valley 2025 exhibition at a football stadium in Lviv. The TOLOKA comes in three different sizes ranging from four metres [13ft] to 12 metres [39ft] in length. Reports suggest that the new lethal underwater drones can carry explosive payloads from anywhere between 500kg to 5000kg.
Some defence experts believe the TOLOKA may already have been used in a recent attack in June on the Crimean Bridge. The crossing connects Russia with Crimea and is a key military supply artery to Putin’s forces based on the peninsula.
The June attack is believed to have involved a drone carrying a payload of 500kg, and led to a further weakening of the road and rail crossing.
Military analysts suggest that the larger model of the underwater drone – the so-called TLK-1000 could successfully damage the bridge beyond repair.
“Some experts believe that several of the largest TOLOKA drones could potentially destroy the Crimean Bridge, as their five-ton explosive payload allows them to effectively reduce large structures to rubble,” the publication RBC-Ukraine wrote.
Drones have played a key part in the fighting for both Russia and Ukraine, helping to change battlefield tactics and the face of modern warfare.
Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Brigadier General Andriy Lebedenko said drones “play a major role in the high-precision defeat of the enemy.”
He added: “We respond promptly to challenges posed by enemy innovations. And to avoid losing either people or territory, we need to keep up with technological development.”
The latest development follows successful tests of Ukraine’s massive new missile the Flamingo.
The Flamingo is a big beast, boasting a six metre wingspan and weighs six tonnes. It also packs a mighty punch in the form of a one tonne warhead.
The missile has a reported range of 3,000km and could strike anywhere in central Russia – easily reaching Moscow or St Petersburg, and even some distance into Siberia.
