Germany To Supply Ukraine With Drone Boats – But Where Will It Get Them?

Kamikaze sea drones, also known as USVs (Uncrewed Surface Vessels) have been one of Ukraine’s most successful innovations. Their crewed navy has played no role in this conflict; Ukraine’s only frigate, under repairs at the time of the invasion, was scuttled to prevent it being captured. But robot vessels have stepped in to fill the gap with impressive results, including attacking the Russian fleet in harbor. Now Germany is boosting Ukraine’s robot fleet with the promise of 50 new USVs, although there is no indication where these will come from.

A New Type of Naval Warfare

Russia ought to have complete naval dominance in the Black Sea, and in the first few months of the war its warships roamed freely, sailing close to Ukraine to unleash barrages of cruise missiles. But since last November months they have been holed up in Sevastopol due to the threat posed by Ukrainian kamikaze USVs.