Russian expert warns about Ukraine's underwater warfare capabilities.
Ukraine's deployment of stealth unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs) could pose a new threat to fleets and critical energy infrastructure in the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian armed forces are showing signs of forming a new underwater combat front through the application of unmanned autonomous systems. This is the assessment of Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security of the Russian Presidential Academy of State Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA).
The trend is shifting towards autonomous underwater technology.
According to an analysis by expert Alexander Stepanov for the TASS news agency, the next step in Ukraine's combat operations will be the widespread use of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). These devices possess superior technical characteristics such as compact size, high stealth capabilities, and are constructed from composite materials that are difficult for radar or sonar systems to detect.
Stepanov emphasized that these technologies had already been tested and perfected in numerous NATO exercises. Their deployment in the Ukrainian Navy now signals the emergence of a range of non-traditional threats to maritime operations in the region.
The Black Sea becomes a testing ground for new weapons.
The Black Sea region is now considered the primary testing ground for these new combat systems. Following some success in operating unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), Ukraine is aiming to expand its attack range underwater, targeting both naval fleets and strategic infrastructure.
Notably, experts are concerned about the possibility of sabotage attacks targeting the Turk Stream gas pipeline and alternative gas transport corridors. Even the scenario of sabotage in enclosed waters like the Caspian Sea cannot be ruled out, given previous drone attacks in the area.
Challenges to energy infrastructure security
The use of UUVs poses a significant challenge to defense, as their ability to approach targets is more difficult to intercept than surface vehicles. The combination of the security requirements of the materials used in their construction and the underwater operating environment necessitates a comprehensive upgrade of the monitoring and protection systems for underwater energy infrastructure by countries in the region.
