On Thursday, April 30, 2026, the press service of the Ukrainian Navy (Viiskovo-Morski Syly Ukrainy) announced on social media that its forces and assets had carried out a successful attack early this morning on two Russian patrol boats near the Crimean Bridge, also known as the Kerch Bridge, and the Kerch Strait, damaging both vessels.
Photo: ВМС ЗС України via Facebook
One of the vessels hit was a small Project 21980 Grachonok patrol/anti-sabotage boat; units of this type are operated by both the Black Sea Fleet and the National Guard of the Russian Federation. The other was a Project 12200 Sobol patrol boat belonging to the Coast Guard of the Border Service of Russia’s Federal Security Service (PS FSB).
According to the press release, the attack caused the enemy irrecoverable personnel losses (killed and wounded – editor’s note). It was emphasized that both vessels were used to protect the Crimean Bridge and counter saboteurs.
Video footage from the electro-optical sensors of kamikaze unmanned boats of an unspecified type (possibly Sea Baby or Magura V5 – editor’s note) used in the attacks was released. The footage shows the crews of the Russian vessels defending themselves against the unmanned attackers.
Video: ВМС ЗС України via Facebook
Project 21980 Grachonok vessels are 31.04 m long and 7.4 m wide, with a draft of 1.85 m and a displacement of 138 t. A total of 28 vessels have been built, with another two under construction. In August 2023, P-349 Suvorovets (841) was damaged in a Ukrainian attack, and its status remains unknown.
Propulsion is provided by two diesel engines of various types: MTU, MWM-Deutz TBD620V12 from Wärtsilä, or local replacements from Zvezda ZE, allowing a maximum speed of up to 23 kt. Endurance is five days, and the crew consists of eight personnel.
The equipment includes an MR-231 Pal navigation radar, Kalmar hull-mounted sonar, MG-757 Anapa-M towed anti-sabotage sonar, and an MTK-201M3 electro-optical system. Armament consists of an MTPU 14.5 mm heavy machine gun, DP-64 and DP-65 grenade launchers, and a 9K38 Igla man-portable air defense system.
Illustrative photo: P-351 Yunarmeyets Kaspiya, Project 21980 Grachonok / Photo: Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
Project 12200 Sobol vessels, in turn, are 30.3 m long and 5.82 m wide, with a draft of 1.34 m and a displacement of 57 t. Propulsion is provided by two Deutz TBD616V16 diesel engines, which give them a high maximum speed of up to 48 kt and a range of up to 500 nautical miles. Endurance is three days, and the crew consists of six personnel.
The equipment includes a Liman 18M1 multifunction radar and an ST50LCD navigation radar, while the armament consists of an MTPU 14.5 mm heavy machine gun, a 9K38 Igla man-portable air defense system, and a 30 mm grenade launcher. In addition, the crew has personal weapons at its disposal.
Illustrative photo: Project 12200 Sobol patrol boat with hull number 635 / Photo: Alex omen via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)