Ukrainian Navy Claims Destruction of Russian FSB Border Patrol Ship Izumrud

On 14 July 2026 the Ukrainian Navy announced that its Unmanned Systems Forces struck the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border-patrol vessel Izumrud near Novorossiysk in southern Russia with a Sargan-3000 naval drone. The navy said the attack caused “dead and wounded among the vessel’s crew.” Satellite imagery released the same day showed the ship’s hull breached and the pier at a Crimean dock blackened by fire, indicating critical damage and partial sinking.

Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian FSB border patrol vesselUkraine claims it destroyed border guard ship in southern RussiaUkrainian Drone Sinks Russian FSB Patrol Ship Involved in 2018 Kerch Strait Attack

Commissioned in 2014, the 62.5-meter (205-foot) Project 22460 patrol ship carried a helipad, displaced 630-750 tons and could reach 27 knots. It participated in the November 25 2018 Kerch Strait incident, when Russian border forces rammed and fired on three Ukrainian Navy vessels attempting to transit from Odesa to Mariupol. That confrontation left six Ukrainian sailors wounded and the vessels seized until a 2019 prisoner exchange.

Ukrainian Drone Sinks Russian FSB Patrol Ship Involved in 2018 Kerch Strait Attack

The navy’s Telegram release emphasized the tactical goal of weakening Russia’s “feeder fleet” that transports oil through the Volga-Don Canal and the Sea of Azov. Unmanned Systems Forces commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi framed the strike as part of Operation MoLoChKa, aimed at disrupting oil exports that finance the Kremlin’s war effort. No comment has been issued by Russian authorities, and independent verification of the ship’s condition remains limited.

Ukrainian Drone Sinks Russian FSB Patrol Ship Involved in 2018 Kerch Strait Attack

Analysts note that ongoing combat operations impede on-the-ground assessment of the vessel’s status. While satellite photos confirm damage at a Crimean pier, they do not directly verify the reported sinking near Novorossiysk. Consequently, the full extent of casualties and the ship’s ultimate fate cannot be independently confirmed at this time.

Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian FSB border patrol vessel

• “The satellite image confirms the destruction of the Russian border patrol ship ‘Izumrud’ at the dock.” — Ukrainian Navy

Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian FSB border patrol vessel

• “We continue to reduce the Russian aggressor’s capabilities at sea,” the Ukrainian Navy reported.” — Ukrainian Navy

Ukrainian military destroyed a Russian FSB border patrol vessel

• “Ukrainian sailors sank the second-rank border patrol ship using the Sargan-3000 naval unmanned complex near Novorossiysk.” — Ukrainian Navy

Ukrainian Drone Sinks Russian FSB Patrol Ship Involved in 2018 Kerch Strait Attack

• “There are dead and wounded among the ship’s crew,” — Ukrainian Navy

Ukraine claims it destroyed border guard ship in southern Russia