Sea drones, missile strikes and blockade: Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Crimea

On Thursday, Russia reported its forces had repelled a Ukrainian drone attack on its warships in the Black Sea. The attack comes days after Ukrainian forces targeted the Crimean Bridge and a number of other unspecified targets on the Crimean peninsula in a flurry of rocket and drone attacks, according to Russia’s Defence Ministry.

The reports highlight Ukraine’s counteroffensive in Crimea, which is being mostly waged through drone and long-range missile strikes.

In the Black Sea, Ukraine has opened a new era of naval warfare by employing suicide sea drones — drones armed with explosives designed to ram into targets and detonate.

“Ukraine has employed explosive uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) as formidable weapons against Russian fleets and even infrastructure”, said Scott Savitz, a senior analyst of the research organisation RAND Corporation.

According to Savitz’s analysis, the ability of seafaring drones to carry large explosive payloads and strike at the waterline of ships makes them more dangerous than aerial weapons like missiles and bombs. The drones’ relatively low cost also allows Ukraine to stage attacks with large numbers, which are difficult to detect by Russian warships despite their scale.

In 2022, President Zelenskiy launched a fundraising campaign to build a fleet of naval drones to protect Ukrainian cities against Russian missile strikes launched from ships in the Black Sea.

The attack on Sevastopol harbour

According to Moscow, on Oct. 29, 2022, Ukraine used naval drones to attack Russian warships in the port of Sevastopol, home of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. The attack did not sink any ships, but it compelled Moscow to build up defences in Crimean ports and discouraged them from sailing warships beyond the protection of the port’s defences.

These repeated attacks using naval drones have forced Russia to build up the security at the entrance to the military port of Sevastopol and around its warships based there. Measures include the addition of nets, pontoons and barriers, as well as the deployment of dolphins trained to detect enemy divers.

According to H. I. Sutton, an independent defence analyst, Russia is also attempting to camouflage its warships by painting the bow and stern in dark colours. This technique — which hearkens back to World War One “dazzle” camouflage, designed to disguise a ship’s heading and speed at sea — aims to confuse modern operators of suicide drones and satellites and prevent them from easily identifying important ships. According to Sutton, all these measures demonstrate that “the Russian Navy takes the maritime drone threat seriously.”

While he’s been reticent about Ukraine’s goals for their ongoing counteroffensive, president Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said that Ukraine’s forces will not rest until Crimea is brought back under Ukrainian control.

Moscow has made clear that Crimea must be held at all costs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity.
• SDG 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation.
• SDG 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being.
• SDG 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
• SDG 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicator for SDG 6.4: Water-use efficiency across sectors, measured by the ratio of water withdrawn to water consumed.
• Indicator for SDG 8.3: Proportion of informal employment in non-agriculture employment.
• Indicator for SDG 9.1: Proportion of the rural population who live within 2 km of an all-season road.
• Indicator for SDG 11.1: Proportion of urban population living in slums, informal settlements, or inadequate housing.
• Indicator for SDG 16.1: Homicide rate per 100,000 population, by sex and age group.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: reuters.com

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