The Ukrainian Navy launched a targeted operation against a former offshore gas platform in the Black Sea that had been repurposed by Russian forces for GPS spoofing, a tactic that endangers civilian and military navigation. According to Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, the platform, located off the coast of Crimea, was being used by Russian units to broadcast GPS interference, potentially leading commercial airliners and ships off course.
On August 10, Ukrainian naval forces, in coordination with the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, struck and destroyed the platform. Pletenchuk confirmed that the attack occurred just hours after Russian forces had stationed equipment and personnel on the platform.
BREAKING:
Up to 40 Russian soldiers killed in Ukrainian naval drone strike against an offshore gas platform in the Black.
The Russian had recently deployed GPS spoofing equipment and soldiers on the platform.
The platform is still burning. pic.twitter.com/5Og7YXovYt
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 10, 2024
The attack is part of a broader Ukrainian effort to counteract Russian electronic warfare tactics in the Black Sea. GPS spoofing, a method that sends false GPS signals to disrupt navigation, has been increasingly employed by Russian forces in the region, according to cybersecurity researchers and aviation experts.
Pletenchuk stated that Ukraine could not allow the continued use of such technology, which is aimed at disrupting Ukrainian grain shipments and other critical maritime activities.
In a related incident, Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Defense Intelligence reported that a Magura V5 suicide drone boat had attacked and destroyed a Russian patrol boat off the coast of Crimea near the village of Chornomorske. The drone strike, which took place on the night of August 9, also reportedly damaged three additional Russian vessels. Footage released by Ukrainian authorities shows the drone boat under heavy fire from a Russian helicopter as it approached the target area.
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