Ukraine’s intelligence department posted footage on Tuesday of what it said were first-person-view attack drones launched by boat crews on the open sea.
The Main Intelligence Directorate, or GUR, wrote in a statement on its Telegram channel that the clips were archival footage of a raid on September 11, 2024.
“Thanks to this component of the operation, the GUR soldiers were able to suppress enemy fire on the Petro Godovanets gas production platform in the Black Sea,” it wrote.
GUR said the attack was carried out on the coast of Crimea by the Raven Group, a unit in its special forces. Business Insider could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.
The clips appear to show a nighttime attack, where at least three first-person-view, or FPV, drones take off from a boat and crash into the ocean platform. Surveillance drone footage captured flashes and explosions.
“The occupiers suffered losses in personnel and equipment,” GUR wrote. Based on the clips posted, the true extent of the damage is not immediately clear.
GUR also posted clips of its troops traversing the open sea in lightweight combat craft, likely rigid inflatable boats such as the Zodiac.
The intelligence division said the raid was Ukraine’s first known instance of attacking with FPV drones via boats on the open sea.
Such an operation is markedly different from how drone warfare is typically conducted at sea, which primarily emphasizes uncrewed surface vehicles — essentially boat drones designed to ram into a target with explosives.
FPV drones, however, are usually remote-controlled quadcopters that require a radio or cable connection to the operator.
Loitering munitions have been used in combat at sea before, such as by Yemen’s Houthi rebels to attack ships on the Red Sea. However, they’ve typically been understood to be launched from inland locations and flown out to the coast.
While GUR didn’t say what equipment was used, an FPV drone operation from a boat would typically require drone pilots to bring control and navigation gear such as headsets, tablets, and GPS modules.
The platform identified, Petro Godovanets, is a Black Sea drilling site that has seen back-and-forth fighting since at least 2023.
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