Doha: Ukraine announced on Saturday that it had downed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet with a missile fired from a MAGURA V5 unmanned surface vessel near the port of Novorossiysk in the Black Sea. The incident constitutes a notable development in the tactical deployment of naval drones in warfare.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Main Directorate of Military Intelligence of Ukraine confirmed that the Russian fighter jet sustained a direct hit and plunged into territorial waters, while the Russian side has yet to issue any official acknowledgment of the incident. Earlier the same day, Ukraine reported carrying drone strikes targeting multiple sites along the Russian Black Sea coastline. In response, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed it had intercepted dozens of drones amid the attacks.

Ukraine had previously utilized unmanned naval vessels in similar operations, having announced in December that it successfully shot down two Russian helicopters using the same approach.