The Ukrainian military is nothing if not resilient. Despite not having a significant navy, Ukraine sank the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva three years ago in the opening stages of the ongoing conflict. At the same time, Kyiv has carried out multiple strikes on Russia’s naval forces, with many involving sea-skimming drones.

Now, there are reports that Ukraine successfully employed an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) to shoot down two Russian fighters over the Black Sea. 

On Friday, a Russian Sukhoi Su-30SM (NATO reporting name Flanker-H) was shot down by a missile fired by a Magura V7, while a second Su-30SM was down just hours later by another missile fired by one of Kyiv’s USVs.

“World first: On May 2, 2025, the @DI_Ukraine special operations unit, in coordination with the Security Service of Ukraine and Defense Forces of Ukraine, eliminated a Russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea,” the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine wrote in a post on X.

It was initially reported that the aircraft were shot down with modified R-73 air-to-air “Sea Dragon” missiles. Still, Kyiv has confirmed that American-made AIM-9........

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