Russian forces were planning to place an anti-aircraft missile system on the Sergey Kotov patrol vessel, reportedly destroyed on March 5, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) spokesperson Andrii Yusov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The military intelligence agency confirmed earlier today that the Project 22160 patrol ship was hit by Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drones and sunk off the coast of occupied Crimea. The Russian Defense Ministry is yet to comment on the incident.
"This is a new ship worth more than $60 million. Ships of this type entered the service in 2017, and the enemy had plans for them," Yusov said.
"In addition to serving as a patrol boat, there were plans to place anti-aircraft systems on the ship itself," he added.
Regarding the vessel's crew, Yusov said that "there are killed and wounded, but there is a possibility that some of the crew managed to evacuate."
In total, Russia's Black Sea Fleet had four vessels of this design, which the Ukrainian Navy calls "the most modern:" Vasily Bykov, Pavel Derzhavin, Sergey Kotov, and Dmitry Rogachev. Only the latter has not been attacked during the all-out war.
Sergey Kotov has already reportedly been hit by naval drones along with another patrol ship, the Vasiliy Bykov, in September 2023. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed at the time that the vessels managed to repel the attack.
"The fewer such ships (there are), the fewer air defense systems can be placed on them, presenting more opportunities for Ukrainian forces," Yusov said.
Read also: Military intelligence: Russia’s Sergey Kotov patrol vessel destroyed near Crimea