The clash ended with the destruction of one of the unmanned vessels, with no human survivors reported.
Ukraine’s navy has published video it describes as showing the first known naval confrontation between two sea drones.
Recorded from aboard the Ukrainian craft, the dramatic footage appears to show the remotely operated vessel opening fire on a Russian ship.
“This marks the first-ever naval engagement between uncrewed surface vessels,” the Ukrainian Navy said in a statement posted to Telegram on Saturday.
According to the statement, Ukraine’s military intelligence service took part in the mission. The unmanned surface vessel, identified as the Sargan 3000, was equipped with a 12.7 mm Protector weapon.
The reported encounter comes as the war has increasingly turned into a testing ground for drone technology. Russia has relied heavily on Iranian-made and other so-called kamikaze drones to attack Ukrainian cities.
Since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has built up a broad fleet of drones designed both to intercept Russian attacks and to strike targets deeper inside Russia.
The Post could not independently verify the identity of the destroyed vessel or determine when the confrontation occurred.
The development follows a claim by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps last week that it had seized a U.S. Navy drone submarine. The capture has fueled concerns that Iran could attempt to replicate the technology or share it with Russia or China.
