An Ukrainian naval drone has sunk a Russian drone boat in what Kyiv claims to be the world's first engagement of its kind between such unmanned vessels.
The Ukrainian Navy reported on Saturday that reconnaissance identified an unmanned Russian vessel in an unspecified area of the Black Sea, according to the German press agency (dpa).
The Navy further detailed that a Ukrainian naval drone was deployed, maneuvered near the Russian boat, and engaged it with heavy machine gun fire, resulting in the vessel's sinking.
In a statement via the Telegram app, the Ukrainian Navy declared: "This is the first naval battle in history between unmanned drone boats."
A video was also released showing gunfire and the destruction of a small boat, although independent verification of the video's authenticity couldn't be immediately confirmed.
Both Ukraine and Russia have developed drone boats over recent months for diverse purposes.
These drones are sometimes outfitted with explosives to attack ships, and others are equipped with weaponry like machine guns or missiles.
Ukraine further claims to have ships capable of carrying short-range drones to get close to the Russian shoreline.