Ukraine’s military intelligence agency released video footage on April 1 purporting to show successful drone strikes against Russian naval and air defense targets in occupied Crimea, adding to a series of recent attacks against Moscow’s Black Sea military assets.
According to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR), drones operated by the ‘Prymary special unit’ struck two Russian military boats and a Tor-M2 surface-to-air missile system. The naval vessels targeted were identified as a Raptor-class patrol boat and a BK-16 high-speed landing craft, both frequently used by Russian forces for amphibious operations and coastal patrols.
🎥 The video shows footage of reconnaissance men’s combat work in #Crimea.
⚡️ The drones of the DIU’s special unit “Prymary” skillfully evade enemy anti-aircraft missiles and hit the 02510 BC-16 and Raptor landing crafts.
💥 Subsequently, they also strike at the TOR-M2… pic.twitter.com/ZZc5Rb64EF
— ZMiST (@ZMiST_Ua) April 2, 2025
“The drones skillfully evaded enemy air defenses, including missile strikes and even a seagull,” HUR claimed in a Telegram post. The agency did not specify when the strikes occurred, but an unnamed HUR source told the Kyiv Independent on April 2 that the video was roughly ten days old, later correcting that the footage was actually from January.
The Tor-M2 system, an upgraded version of Russia’s Tor-M1 short-to-medium range air defense platform, is designed to intercept aerial threats such as aircraft, helicopters, and precision-guided munitions.
Footage of the combat work of the Tor-M2 air defense system. pic.twitter.com/jNWNecIPGQ
— Massimo Frantarelli (@MrFrantarelli) September 26, 2022
Ukrainian military intelligence also reported that Prymary drones destroyed Russian radar installations and additional military equipment in the region, including a Kasta radar station reportedly valued at approximately $60 million.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the claims, and Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-installed head of Crimea, has made no reference to the reported attacks in recent days.
The claimed drone strikes come amid conflicting reports about a U.S.-brokered ceasefire agreement in the Black Sea. On March 25, the White House announced a partial truce, in coordination with Ukraine and Russia, intended to prevent military use of commercial vessels and ensure safe passage in the region. However, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi clarified that the agreement applies to civilian shipping and port activity but does not restrict strikes on Russian warships.
Russia, for its part, has demanded the lifting of U.S. sanctions on its agricultural exports and access to international payment systems as a condition for fully implementing the ceasefire. Meanwhile, mutual accusations of violations, particularly regarding attacks on energy infrastructure, have hindered further diplomatic progress.
Throughout the three-year full-scale war, Ukraine has repeatedly targeted military infrastructure in Crimea, particularly the port of Sevastopol, which hosts key elements of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. These attacks have led Moscow to reposition valuable naval assets farther east and even seek new operational bases in the Russian-backed breakaway region of Abkhazia in Georgia.
Raptor and BK-16 class vessels, derived from the Swedish CombatBoat 90 design, are integral to Russian amphibious operations. Ukrainian forces have previously destroyed at least six Raptor boats since the war escalated in 2022.
#NavalNews Recent name change – Black Sea Fleet 388th Special Purpose Reconnaissance Unit’s Project 02510 (BK-16)-class landing craft/assault boat D-296 was renamed to “Vladislav Dorokhin” (D-296). Photos by TASS/RIA. pic.twitter.com/FMaqRT6lwo
— Saturnax 🇸🇰🇪🇺🇺🇦 (@Saturnax1) February 25, 2023
