The Ukrainians destroyed one yesterday. Another six Improved Kilo-class subs will come to Russia's Northern Fleet
With an underwater drone, the Ukrainian Security Service destroyed an Improved Kilo-class (Varshavyanka) sub in the port of Novorossiisk. A fleet of six subs of the same class is planned to be built for the Northern Fleet. They will all carry names of occupied Ukrainian cities.
In a spectacular show of force, the Ukrainian Security Service managed to sail an underwater drone into the port of Novorossiisk and hit one of Russia's Improved Kilo-class subs.
A video shows a major explosion taking place near the bow of a vessel.
According to the Ukrainians, the damage inflicted on the diesel-electric submarine is of critical character.
"For the first time in history, an underwater drone "Sub Sea Baby" blew up a Russian submarine of the 636.3 "Varshavyanka" class (NATO classification - Kilo). As a result of the explosion, the submarine suffered critical damage and was effectively put out of action," the Ukrainians report.
There were reportedly on board the submarine four launchers of Kalibr, the cruise missiles that are used extensively by the Russians to strike Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The attack is not the first against a submarine in the Black Sea. In 2023 and 2024, the Ukrainians twice attacked the Rostov-on-Don, one of Russia's Improved Kilo-class subs.
Russia has a total of 12 subs of the Varshavyanka-class, in the West referred to as the Improved Kilo-class. And more are under construction.
In 2024, the Admiralty Yard in St. Petersburg reportedly started construction of a submarine that will ultimately become the first vessel of the class in the Northern Fleet.
The submarine will be named Mariupol after the occupied Ukrainian city that was completely destroyed by attacking Russian forces. Countless civilians were killed in the battles and grave war crimes were committed by the involved Russian and Chechen troops involved.
Another five similar subs are to be built and subsequently sent to a base in the Kola Peninsula. All of them will have names of Ukrainian cities.
Reportedly, the second submarine will carry the name Donetsk, the third - Luhansk, the fourth Kherson, and the fifth - Zaporizhia.
The vessels are likely to be based in Polyarny, the naval base located near the city of Murmansk.
The Improved Kilo-class submarines are 73 metres long and ten metres wide, and can operate down to depths of 300 meter. They have a crew of 52 men and are equipped with six torpedo chambers, mines and Kalibr cruise missiles.
