Ukraine's undersea drones are deploying mines to fight against Russian warships, damaging several according to a new report from The Wall Street Journal.
Brig. Gen. Ivan Lukashevych of the Ukrainian Security Service, the country's main security and intelligence agency, told the Journal that the navy is using "Sea Baby" drones to lay 400-pound mines under water along the bed of the Black Sea.
Lukashevych said that these mines can detect ships using sounds and electromagnetic signals and will detonate once one is within range. So far, about two dozen Russian ships, including four warships, have received damage from these mines.
"Before, naval drones were used mostly for surveillance or logistics," Lukashevych told the newspaper. "We are doing many things that no one in the world has done."
Ukraine increased its use of undersea drones to lay mines after Russia stepped up its defenses around the port of Sevastopol in Crimea and eventually moved its headquarters to Novorossiysk, a Black Sea port city in Russia, which made attacks by explosive naval drones less feasible.
Naval drones were also used last July to damage the Crimean Bridge, the main connector between Russia and Crimea, which is considered a key throughway for Russian forces heading towards Ukraine.
Lukashevych said that even after Russia completed repairs to the bridge, they no longer use it to transport heavy military equipment.