Kiev’s special forces strike Russian rescue ship

The vessel allegedly hit by a Ukrainian drone was designed for search and rescue missions, as well as aiding distressed ships.

The Ukrainian military intelligence service (GUR) has claimed that “special forces” under its control struck a Russian “Black Sea Fleet” vessel in a drone attack. The ship in question has turned out to be designed for search and rescue missions, as well as aiding distressed ships.

The Ukrainian military targeted a “high-value military target” near the Russian port city of Novorossiysk in the eastern part of the Black Sea, the GUR claimed in a Facebook post on Thursday. It also named the target as a project MPSV07 vessel.

The Nevsky Shipyard – a Russian shipbuilding company that produces vessels of this class – describes MPSV07 ships as multipurpose emergency response rescue vessels. It is designed for searching and aiding distressed ships, extinguishing fires and dealing with oil spills as well as evacuation of people stranded at sea, according to the company’s website.

It can also be used to inspect undersea infrastructure at a depth of up to one kilometer. Named ‘Rescuer Ilyin’, the vessel in question came into service in 2023 and has already aided in dealing with the consequences of Ukrainian drone attacks on Novorossiysk and Russian vessels in the Black Sea, according to local media.

The GUR claimed in its statement that the ship was “conducting a radio electronic surveillance and patrolling” mission outside of the port of Novorossiysk. According to Ukrainian military intelligence, the attack damaged the vessel’s navigation equipment, putting it out of commission. It also published a black-and-white video of what it claimed was the drone strike targeting the vessel. It admitted that the ship survived the attack.

Neither the Russian authorities nor the Defense Ministry have commented on the GUR’s claim. Some Russian media reported that the ship did sustain “light” damage. No one was reportedly killed in the attack, although it was claimed that the ship’s captain was injured.

In recent months, Ukrainian forces have intensified their long-range drone operations, targeting residential areas and key infrastructure across Russia. Moscow has responded to Kiev’s attacks with high-precision strikes on Ukrainian military-related facilities, maintaining that its operations are never directed at civilians.