SBU Says Drones Hit Russian Military Ships in New 40-Day Crimea Campaign

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said its drones struck Russian military support vessels and an S-400 air defense system in occupied Kerch as part of a newly launched 40-day operation in Crimea approved by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to the SBU, Friday’s operation targeted vessels located at the Zaliv shipyard in occupied Kerch, as well as Russian air defense assets protecting the Kerch Strait.

The agency said drones struck the Project 15310 cable-laying ships Volga and Vyatka, as well as the passenger and cargo ferry Petropavlovsk, which it said was 96% complete, causing large fires aboard the vessels.

The SBU said the Volga and Vyatka were being built for Russia’s defense ministry to deploy the Harmony underwater acoustic surveillance system for submarine reconnaissance.

According to the agency, the ships are also capable of laying non-contact naval mines targeting ships, underwater pipelines, cables, and other critical infrastructure.

The SBU also said its drones struck weapons systems and a radar station belonging to an S-400 surface-to-air missile system covering the Kerch Strait area.

The agency said continued strikes on Russian military infrastructure in occupied Crimea aim to reduce Russia’s ability to use the peninsula as a military and logistics hub.

It added that degrading air defense systems could facilitate future precision strikes, while damaging ships and port infrastructure would weaken Russia’s ability to support its forces.

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40-day operation to pressure Russia

On Thursday, Zelensky announced that he had approved a 40-day SBU operation aimed at pressuring Russia and pushing Moscow toward ending its war against Ukraine.

The decision followed a report by Maj. Gen. Yevhen Khmara on Ukraine’s long-range and mid-range strike plans, as well as the latest battlefield results of the SBU, particularly its “Alpha” Center of Special Operations.

The announcement comes amid continued Ukrainian efforts to expand the use of medium and long-range strikes against Russian targets, including sites inside Russia and Russian-occupied territories.

Many of those operations have focused on Russia’s oil industry, a key source of revenue and logistics for Moscow’s war effort.