Ukraine's navy intelligence (HUR) destroyed a Russian aerial goal with the Ukrainian-made Magura V5 naval strike drone for the primary time, HUR reported on Dec. 31.

Throughout a battle within the Black Sea off the Western tip of occupied Crimea, the particular unit Group 13 launched SeeDragon missiles from the Magura drone. The unit downed a Russian Mi-8 helicopter and hit one other helicopter, though the latter was in a position to fly again to the airbase.
A video from the battle exhibits the second the missiles locked onto the helicopter earlier than it exploded and crashed into the ocean.
The Magura drone has helped Ukraine push again in opposition to Russia’s Black Sea Fleet by putting dozens of ships this yr. They’ve been in operation because the summer time of 2023.
It might probably cowl a distance of greater than 800 kilometers (500 miles), attain a velocity of 80 km/h (50 mph), and is able to carrying a 250-kilogram warhead. Every one is 5.5 meters lengthy and prices roughly 10 million hryvnias ($240,000).
In June, HUR introduced that the drones had been modified to function anti-aircraft missiles, presenting a critical risk to the Russian air drive over the Black Sea.
Ukraine beforehand destroyed a number of notable Russian ships with Magura drones, together with a touchdown ship Caesar Kunikov, a Sergei Kotov patrol ship, high-speed Serna and Akula touchdown crafts, and a Tarantul-class Ivanovets missile corvette.

NATO to strengthen Baltic Sea military presence following suspected underwater cable sabotageNATO allies met on Dec. 30 to address the security of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, following damage to undersea cables connecting Estonia and Finland several days earlier.The Kyiv IndependentOlena Goncharova