Ukraine’s 40th Coastal Defense Brigade carried out a precision strike on Russian positions along the Dnipro River using its domestically developed Barracuda naval drone.
The brigade said the unmanned vessel first conducted reconnaissance to locate enemy positions before deploying specialized mines on the targets. The operation reportedly destroyed a Russian boat armed with a machine gun and an occupiers’ logistics base.
USV Barracuda completed another successful mission. Stealthily entering enemy positions, it deployed in-house mines, identified targets, and delivered precise strikes. An enemy gunboat and a logistics base were destroyed.
Fb|Ig|Tg|Yb:@40obrbo #UAMarines #Kherson #Barracuda pic.twitter.com/3ewuZ7WHal
— 40th Coastal Defense Brigade (@40obrbo) December 23, 2025
Introduced earlier this year, the Barracuda is a highly versatile drone capable of precision attacks, grenade deployment, launching FPV drones, and conducting resupply missions. However, unlike Ukraine’s long-range USVs, the Barracuda lacks satellite communication capabilities.
“Its range is therefore limited, making it suitable primarily for short-distance missions among the islands of the Dnipro River, which corresponds with the operating area of the 40th Coastal Defense Brigade,” Ukrainian media outlet United24 reported.
Recently, Ukrainian forces have stepped up the use of naval drones to disrupt Russian operations along key waterways.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian naval drones, dubbed Sea Baby, struck two sanctioned Russian oil tankers, Kairos and Virat, in the Black Sea.
Ukrainian forces released videos of the operation against the two oilers Kairo and Virat in the Black Sea which tried to reach the Russian coast.
The message is clear:
If you are a shipowner trying to get Russian oil, expect that you will lose your whole ship. pic.twitter.com/Zg91DqbKmZ
— (((Tendar))) (@Tendar) November 29, 2025
Last week, a Ukrainian underwater drone, known as the Sub Sea Baby, was reportedly used to attack a Russian Kilo-class submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk, marking the first reported strike of its kind.
