Zelenskyy hints at new developments in Ukraine's sea drones
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (Getty Images)
Ukraine is continuously developing its naval drones, and systems capable of operating even in ocean conditions and underwater will appear soon, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an address to the UK Parliament.
"Our naval drone systems keep evolving, and we focused on the speed of this evolution. And we won. Won our sea," Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said that Ukraine started with simple kamikaze drones and later moved to drones equipped with turrets capable of shooting down helicopters.
"Now we have drones that can shoot down Russian fighter jets from the sea. We have developed boats that carry other drones. We also have boats that strike targets on land from the sea," he noted.
According to the President, Ukraine is currently working on developing "more stable drones" that can operate longer and more effectively at sea.
"Soon, and not in the distant future, we will have systems that can operate even in ocean conditions. We are also effectively working on underwater systems," Zelenskyy said.
Naval drones
Ukraine became the first country in the world to widely and effectively use naval drones to strike ships of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, significantly shifting the balance of power in the Black Sea.
A striking example was the attacks by SBU Sea Baby drones, which hit two sanctioned oil tankers — KAIRO and VIRAT — belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet.
According to Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, Russia is now trying to copy Ukrainian developments. However, the effectiveness of the Russian counterparts has not yet been confirmed.
Unlike the enemy, Ukrainian forces continue to strike exclusively legitimate military targets and say they are fully prepared for new threats from Russia.
