The Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine has published detailed analytics on crewless naval complexes (CNC) that Russia is using and developing for combat operations at sea. According to RBC-Ukraine, citing a GUR MoD Ukraine statement, the disclosed roundup features the 'Skanda', 'Iskatel', 'Farvater', 'Trizubets', 'Vizir', 'Murena-300s', 'BEK-1000' boats and other models, for which the agency provided their tactical and technical specifications. According to Ukrainian intelligence's assessment, most of the multi-purpose boats are intended for patrolling coastal waters and carrying out special missions.
What Exactly Did the GUR Disclose
The Ukrainian agency emphasizes that in the field of the latest weapons for the maritime theater, Russia, according to their claims, is losing to Ukraine and is directing significant resources toward the corresponding projects. The GUR links this to the fact that crewless naval means, in their words, play an important role in the Kremlin's "terrorist plans" both against Ukraine and against civilian shipping on a global scale. The publication of the specifications is thus positioned as an element of information and analytical work aimed at demonstrating the adversary's capabilities.
Joint Project of Russia, Belarus and China
A joint development by companies from Belarus, Russia and China, officially named the "multi-purpose naval unmanned complex," received separate attention in the analytics, according to the GUR. The project, as noted, was implemented with the support of the business club of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The boat hull was designed and manufactured by the Russian corporate group 'Composite Shipbuilding' (Kompozitnoye Korablestroeniye), which specializes in the production of high-speed passenger and specialized boats. Composite materials from the Chinese company Sino Polymer were used to manufacture the CNC, which, according to the developers' statements, allowed expanding the operating temperature range, accelerating the production process and reducing the unit cost of the product.
Contradictory Data
The parties' assessments of the effectiveness of naval drones diverge. On the one hand, the GUR MoD Ukraine claims that Russia is lagging in this field and is forced to invest serious resources, relying on international cooperation (including with China and Belarus) to reduce costs and expand capabilities. On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that Russia's crewless vehicles "work effectively at sea in the combat zone." Thus, one side declares technological lag and dependence on foreign components, while the other declares the combat effectiveness of its own models; no independent public verification of the tactical and technical specifications has been provided in open sources.
Context of Combat Operations
The publication of analytics on naval CNCs comes against the backdrop of ongoing strikes on military infrastructure. As Ukrainian sources recall, Ukrainian military recently destroyed a Russian MiG-29 fighter at an airfield in Kursk Oblast, and also struck a 'Pantsir-S1' air defense missile-artillery system. In addition, according to the National Guard, special forces of the 'Omega' Special Purpose Center destroyed a Russian Su-24M bomber at the 'Saki' military airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea. These episodes underscore that the fight for maritime and coastal directions remains one of the key dimensions of the conflict.
