In a massive escalation, Russia wiped out Ukraine's reconnaissance ship Simferopol with a sea drone strike in the Danube River delta on Thursday, the Russian
Defence Ministry announced. The vessel, reportedly the largest vessel commissioned by the country in over a decade, was sunk with a naval drone in the Danube River delta in the Odessa Region, Russia Today reported, citing the defence ministry. This marked Russia's first successful use of a sea drone to destroy a Ukrainian naval vessel, Russian state media reported. The Laguna-class ship is designed for radio, electronic, radar, and optical reconnaissance. In the video shared by RT, the ship can be seen being blown into smithereens as the drone hits it.
💥SUNK: Ukrainian Recon Ship WIPED OUT By 🇷🇺 Unmanned Boats At The Mouth Of The Danube
The drone-like boats had been used during July Storm exercises. Ukrainian Armed Forces have acknowledged the loss of the Simferopol vessel.
📹: 🇷🇺 MoD pic.twitter.com/ZKdL2PCdLC— RT_India (@RT_India_news) August 28, 2025
Ukraine Navy Confirms Death Of One Crew Member
The Ukrainian Navy later confirmed the strike and reported the death of a crew member. "Efforts to address the aftermath of the attack are ongoing. The majority of the crew are safe, and the search for several missing sailors continues," Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk told the Kyiv Independent.
A Laguna-class ship, Simferopol was launched in 2019 and joined the Ukraine Navy two years later. It is designed for radio, electronic, radar, and optical reconnaissance, armed with a 30 mm AK-306 artillery system. According to the WarGonzo Telegram channel, the vessel was the largest ship that Kiev has managed to launch since 2014.
