The Magura V5 Sea Drone Sank Caesar Kunikov on February 14, 1943, One Day Before Russia’s Second Year of Invasion

On February 14, 1943, the day after the Ukrainian drone strike, Caesar Kunikov, a World War II hero of the Soviet Union, died.

The Magura V5 drone, which looks like a sleek black speedboat, was unveiled last year. A top speed of 80 knots (50 mph) and a weight of 700 pounds were reported.

The Ukrainian attacks on Russian aircraft and ships in the Black Sea helped push Moscow’s naval forces back from the coast, increasing crucial exports of grain and other goods through its southern ports.

On Wednesday, a special operations unit of the Military Intelligence in Ukraine sank the Caesar Kunikov using Magura V5 sea drones. The same unit also struck on Feb. 1, according to officials.

It would be another blow for the Black Sea fleet and a success for Ukraine just 10 days before the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion.

Ukraine has moved onto the defensive in the war, hindered by low ammunition supplies and a shortage of personnel, but has kept up its strikes behind the largely static 930-mile front line.