Unmanned Ukrainian vessels: The lesson for Israel
Ukraine’s unmanned vessels are shaping the war in the Black Sea. These robotic boats, known as USVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), have sunk Russian Navy ships.
But their very presence has a greater, perhaps more strategic, impact. Russia is forced to change its supply lines. And as As the invasion of Ukraine proved, supply lines are key.
At the end of February two Russian government ships did something very unusual. The transport ship Sparta-IV and the tanker Yaz sailed from the Russian base in Tartus in Syria towards the Black Sea. These ships are usually used to transport military equipment. The Sparta-IV was previously used to deliver S-300 missile systems from Syria to Russia, and is the Sieg’s sister ship that was hit by Ukrainian remotely piloted vessels on August 5, 2023.
But this time, when the ships approached the Bosphorus, the strait connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Black Sea, they suddenly turned around. This is another strong indicator that Ukraine’s UAVs have a strategic impact.
Israel should learn from the Ukrainian use of unmanned systems against a larger enemy. Israel can certainly erode Iran to the point where it cannot support its proxies without risking the very existence of the state. There are many refineries on the Persian Gulf coast.
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⚡[UPDATE-Day 158-Mar 12-22:00Z] Operational Summary: The last 5 months on the northern front
This is a developing story that HO1 will continue to monitor.
Check back for updates.
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