According to information published by the Ukrainian government on August 16, 2023, Ukraine's Unmanned surface vehicles, which successfully targeted the Crimean Bridge as well as the Russian landing ship "Olenegorsky Miner" and the tanker "SIG", were developed in-house by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
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Artist rendering of the Ukrainian Unmanned Surface Vehicle SeaBaby. (Picture source: SBU)
Vasyl Malyuk, the head of the SBU, spoke about operations in the Black Sea targeting specific ships and the Crimean Bridge. These actions were a result of careful planning and were successfully executed by the Security Service together with the Ukrainian Naval Forces.
The SBU developed specialized unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) without private sector involvement. These USVs were the ones that struck the Crimean Bridge in July 2023. They also targeted the "Olenegorsky Miner" and the SIG oil tanker.
On July 17, 2023, the Ukrainian USVs attacked the Russian bridge, a vital link between occupied Crimea and Russia, causing extensive damage that occasionally interrupted its functionality.
The SBU shared footage of the incident on the Crimean Bridge. It displayed a USV packed with explosives hitting a main pillar of the bridge, causing a significant blast. Capturing this footage was unexpected since the bridge's surveillance system is highly secured.
Looking back at the mission, Malyuk shared that the operation was a result of months of detailed planning. It was carried out in cooperation with the Ukrainian Naval Forces, under the leadership of Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa.
Malyuk added that the team affectionately named the USVs used in the July 2023 operation "SeaBaby". These drones were equipped with heavy explosives weighing around 850 kg.
For the operations targeting the "Olenegorsky Miner" and the "SIG" tanker, they deployed two other USVs, each loaded with a 450 kg explosive. The design and development of these USVs were collaborative efforts within the SBU, with support from civilian engineers and tech specialists.
Malyuk recognized the interest of Western allies in their operation. But he emphasized that, while they are interested in the SBU's methods, there's been no joint efforts. These USVs are manufactured secretly within Ukraine.
