Ukraine's Navy reported on July 14, 2026, that it sank the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) border patrol vessel Izumrud near Novorossiysk using a domestically built unmanned surface strike platform called the Sargan-3000. The incident reportedly caused casualties among the ship's crew, with dead and wounded, though precise figures were not disclosed. Satellite imagery released by the Ukrainian Navy on July 14 confirmed the destruction of the Izumrud, showing the vessel wrecked alongside a quay wall.
The Izumrud, a Project 22460 Okhotnik or Rubin-class patrol ship commissioned in 2014, measured 62.5 meters (205 feet) in length, had a displacement of 630-750 tons, and could reach speeds of up to 27 knots. It was equipped with a helipad for extended patrol operations. This particular sinking is significant due to the Izumrud's history of involvement in the November 25, 2018, Kerch Strait incident, where Russian forces attacked and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews, holding them for nearly a year.
The attack on the Izumrud is part of a broader and expanding Ukrainian naval drone campaign targeting Russian vessels in the Black Sea. This campaign has included strikes on other Rubin-class vessels, with the patrol ship Rasul Gamzatov targeted in December 2025 and two more damaged in February 2026. The Ukrainian Defense Ministry reported in April that roughly 30 percent of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet combat strength had been destroyed or seriously damaged since the start of the full-scale invasion, forcing Russia to relocate much of its remaining fleet to Novorossiysk, where the Izumrud was sunk.
