Appearing at first glance like casual boaters testing a weekend toy, the scene masks a far more serious operation. One individual leaps off a small craft into shallow water, guiding it manually, while others observe from the shoreline. A guard with a firearm remains concealed in the reeds. Moments later, the unmanned vessel accelerates across the water, directed remotely from a nearby van. These trials are part of Ukraine’s growing use of autonomous maritime drones, designed to disrupt Russian naval operations and deter fleet movements in contested waters.
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How Ukraine’s naval drones hold Russia’s warships at bay
They look like friends messing about in boats. They are anything but. One jumps off a small vessel and stands in the water nudging it around, while others stand on shore watching. A man holding a machine gun looks on, hidden from prying eyes by tall reeds. Suddenly the boat, with no one on it, roars off into the distance, controlled remotely from a white van on the beach. Today the meny are testing the boat, but its next mission will be to attack a Russian target.