A video circulating on the Mash on the Wave Telegram channel shows a Russian medium reconnaissance ship entering the near and far sea zones, described as a communications vessel, in Sevastopol Bay. The footage indicates the vessel arrived under its own power, without the aid of a tug, and there is no visible damage on the hull in the recording.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, three Ukrainian naval unmanned aerial vehicles conducted an attack on the Ivan Khurs early on May 24, approximately 140 kilometers from the Bosphorus. The ministry stated that all hostile boats were destroyed by the standard weapons mounted on the Russian ship in a defensive response.
Project Ivan Khurs, designated 18280, entered service with the Russian Navy in June 2018. The vessel measures about 95 meters in length, displaces roughly 2,500 tons, and operates with a crew of about 120. Its armament includes four 14.5 mm MTPU Sting machine gun mounts and portable air defense missiles such as Igla and Verba systems.
Subsequent Ukrainian footage surfaced, seemingly capturing one of the unmanned boats firing from an integrated camera and continuing toward the target. There is uncertainty about whether the craft detonated upon impact with the ship.
The Ivan Khurs has carried out duties aimed at safeguarding the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream gas pipelines within Turkish territorial waters. This function followed sabotage incidents involving Nord Stream in September 2022 and an attempted attack on South Stream, which was thwarted by security services in Russia.
There is also discussion that Kyiv may have directed threat devices along the Black Sea Grain Initiative route intended for cargoes via a grain corridor. The strategic passage through the Bosphorus forms a bottleneck where Ukrainian vessels transit on their way to destinations designed to supply various markets. When the grain accord was signed, Russia pledged to refrain from attacks on vessels using the route, while Ukraine committed not to utilize the corridor for military actions on a date following an October 29 incident involving unmanned boats near Sevastopol and a prior attack on Russian assets. The balance of these commitments has been a point of contention in ongoing exchanges between Moscow and its counterparts.
Following the signing of the food agreement, Russian officials asserted that several conditions outlined by Moscow were not fulfilled. In response, Moscow called for the resumption of certain financial and logistical arrangements, including reinstating a specific bank under international transfer networks and restoring key supply routes for Russian needs. The discussion extended to broader logistics and financial measures aimed at stabilizing the associated trading framework.
The agreement has seen extensions under mutual interest, with Turkey participating in renewals. The arrangement is currently active until July 17, with Russia signaling that if prerequisites are not met, it may reconsider its participation and explore alternatives. This has kept the status of the deal fluid as discussions continue among involved parties and international observers watch for any shifts in policy or enforcement that could impact sea lanes and energy logistics in the region. [Attribution: Russian Defense Ministry statements; independent analyses of Black Sea security developments]