Russia learns to defend itself against sea drones: “Now it’s not that simple”

The commander of the Naval Forces of Ukraine said that Russia had learned to counter the marine drones that paralyzed the Black Sea fleet and that kyiv must innovate quickly to maintain his sea edge.

“What you did yesterday will no longer work tomorrow,” said vice-admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa in an interview with Radio Liberty published on Saturday.

“There was a time when we could calmly enter Sevastopol Bay with drones,” said Neizhpapa. “Now it’s not that simple.”

NeizhpaPapa said that the Black Sea fleet solution was a “diaper defense system” combining detection and anti-line capacities.

“It starts with a detection system on several levels. Long-range, medium-range zones and short-range to detect our unmanned systems,” said vice-admiral. “Then comes their procedure to destroy them.”

He said Ukraine responded by adjusting air defense systems on his drones to counter the kinetic threat. Many unrealized surface ships in Ukraine were initially designed to precipitate their targets and explode.

The technology overturned Moscow’s advantage in the Black Sea – kyiv has no formal navy, while Russia has deployed dozens of armed ships in the maritime region. However, with a combination of marine drones and long -range missile strikes, Ukraine has flowed an estimated quarter of Russia in the region, including the Moskva lighthouse, pushing the major part of the Crimean fleet.

However, marine drones later turned out to be vulnerable to air threats such as helicopters with machine guns.

Ukraine therefore began to install some of its drones, such as the maritime drone exploding Magura V5, with the Soviet anti-air missile R-73. In December, he said one of his drones had shot down a Russian mid-8 helicopter for the first time in the Black Sea.

“So now, we are starting to repel the enemy of the air over the sea, not allowing them to destroy our sea drones from the air,” said Neizhpapa.

“And so on,” he continued. “It is a constant competition. The one that is ahead will be successful.”

The vice-admiral said that Ukraine’s naval drones are now carrying “various types of weapons on board” to extend their defensive capacities.

But it is very aware that war has pushed Russia to also assess flexibility and rapid decision -making. Moscow is trying to do its own sea drones, he said.

“There have been some more or less successful uses, and they work there,” said Neizhpapa.

The White House said at the end of March that Ukraine and Russia had agreed during the talks in Saudi Arabia to a ceasefire in the Black Sea. The Trump administration said it was a decision that would restore access to vital shipping routes for the world cereal industry.

But Russia has since declared that even if it supports the truce in principle, the Kremlin has an “whole range of questions” to which it is necessary to answer before the entry into force of the ceasefire.

Ukraine and Russia also agreed last month to stop attacks on energy infrastructure, but have since exchanged accusations that the other has violated the agreement.