The Security Service of Ukraine disclosed the details of maritime operations in the Black Sea

16 August, 2023 SeaBaby drone with which the SSU hit the Crimean Bridge. Photo credits: SSU. The Head of the Security Service of Ukraine shared the details of operations involving July 2023 drone strikes on Russian ships and the Crimean bridge.

The news was disclosed by the SSU press service. According to Vasyl Maliuk, Head of the SSU, the operations in the Black Sea waters involving ships and the Crimean bridge were planned and successfully implemented by the Security Service of Ukraine together with the Ukrainian Navy. "Naval drones are a unique development of the SSU.

No private companies are involved in this development. It was these drones that attacked the Crimean Bridge in July 2023, and some of them attacked the landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak and the SIG oil tanker," Maliuk said. On July 17, 2023, Ukrainian naval drones attacked the Russian bridge connecting occupied Crimea with mainland Russia.

As a result of the strike, the bridge was severely damaged, leading to a partial shutdown of traffic. The Security Service of Ukraine first released footage of the Crimean Bridge attack to CNN. It captures an explosive-laden surface drone moving toward one of the bridge piers and hitting it, followed by a powerful explosion.

It is worth noting that the video surveillance from the bridge cameras is executed through a secure channel, so receiving images from them by SSU specialists was unexpected.

According to the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, the July drone attack was the result of months of preparation. The operation, conducted jointly with the Ukrainian Navy, was led by Navy Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa. "At the final stage of preparation, we couldn't even think about sleeping or eating.

We were completely focused on the operation. The last few days were quite nerve-wracking. When the explosion happened, we were very happy and started congratulating each other," he told CNN.

Maliuk shared that the drones that damaged the Crimean Bridge in July 2023 were called "SeaBaby" on the initiative of the personnel. The drones were equipped with a warhead weighing 850 kg. Two other drones were used to hit the landing ship Olenegorsky Gornyak and the SIG tanker, each with a 450-kilogram warhead.

The SSU team, assisted by civilian engineers and programmers, is working on the development and production of naval drones. Maliuk noted that Ukraine's Western partners have shown interest in this work and a desire to learn from the experience, but he denied their cooperation.

"They do not participate in our operations and do not provide us with any equipment or anything else.

The targets I mentioned are legitimate targets under Ukrainian and international law," he said.