Ukraine's star of the sea: Underwater attack drone starts trials

Ukrainian engineers have begun testing a new underwater drone that's expected to be used in attacks on Russian targets, including elements of the Black Sea Fleet.

The unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), which is known as the Marichka, was developed by a group of volunteer engineers calling themselves Ammo Ukraine.

According to the group, the UUV is six metres long and has a range of more than 620 miles (997km).

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While to the casual observer it looks like a conventional torpedo, Ammo Ukraine said the drone is capable of performing attack, transport or reconnaissance missions.

'Marichka' is the Ukrainian version of the name Maria, meaning star of the sea. The estimated cost of the UUV is about £356,000, and the money has been raised through donations.

After gaining initial operational capability, the Marichka is expected to be used in kamikaze operations against Black Sea Fleet targets as well as other critical Russian infrastructure, buildings and bases.

Ukraine has been conducting attacks on the home base of Russia's Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea, using a mixture of missiles and surface drones.

In an intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine, the UK Ministry of Defence (MOD) said the recent attacks had been the most damaging and co-ordinated to date, although the Black Sea Fleet was still capable of carrying out its core wartime missions.