The ingenious drone distraction maneuver that allowed Ukraine to sink Moskva and humiliate Russia

Several factors added to the fact that Moskva - Russia's naval pride - succumbed to Ukrainian missiles and lay on the Black Sea bed unexpectedly for most military experts. On 14 April, seven days ago, the Kremlin Defense Ministry acknowledged the sinking of its flagship but did not admit that it had been attacked by the forces of Ukraine. His narrative spoke -even today- of an uncontrolled fire that led to the evacuation of the destroyed ship.

For its part, Ukraine reported that two Neptune missiles had been responsible for striking the Russian cruiser 60 nautical miles off the coast of Odessa, in the south of the country. The Neptune is an anti-ship missile developed by Ukraine and based on an earlier Soviet design, the KH-35. The launchers are mounted on trucks parked near the coast and, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, missiles can hit targets at a distance of up to 280 kilometers.

Its sinking surprised the planet and, above all, those naval specialists who have not seen a similar event at sea since the attack that ended the Argentine Navy cruiser General Belgrano during the Falklands War in 1982. Moskva has an amazing technology that did not help it this time because of the maneuvers and deceptions of the Ukrainians. The Russian ship was packed with sensors, radio jammers and cannons to repel and defend against any type of attack. It has batteries of S-300F and OSA-MA missiles and AK-630 Gatling guns. This protects it from long-range and short-range attacks. So what could have failed?

Neptunes are difficult to track on radars. Especially since they fly at low altitudes, almost stuck over the sea. In addition to the curvature of the earth, waves, rain or even fog, become “ghosts” of the sea. But that shouldn't be enough to surprise a ship of the size of Moskva. Especially since its speed is not the best: it is below the speed of sound. The Ukrainian strategists then began to think how to make this type of missile hit a ship that had so many defenses and that appeared, to the naked eye, as impenetrable.

“The success of the attack seems to have been helped by intelligent tactics,” The Economist magazine noted in its latest edition. Apparently, minutes before the lethal and definitive attack took place, Ukrainian forces provoked a maneuver of confusion and deception against the target. The Russians “took the bait”. “They flew Bayraktar TB2 drones near Moskva, says a colonel from Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine,” the media reported. “These drones, made in Turkey, have been effective against Russian armored vehicles and artillery. Therefore, their presence above the ship could disturb those on board and distract radar operators. The colonel, who asked for anonymity, claims that the drones diverted the attention of the crew while collecting information about the missiles target.”

The distraction maneuver was lethal for Moskva. The Russians stopped at the powerful and very useful Turkish drones and neglected the rest of the radars. Lack of experience may have been key to predicting that another attack - much more stealthy - was underway. But in addition, unmanned aircraft would have served to give the exact location of the target. This, according to The Economist, would have allowed that the radars of the Neptune missiles could have remained off for much of their approach to the ship. “This would have been a great help. 'Illuminating' a warship with an aiming radar raises alarms. According to Pierre-Henri Chuet, a former fighter pilot in the French Navy, missile radars could have only been on for the last two minutes of a flight that lasted five times longer.”

That is to say: if the Neptune had turned on their radars to locate their target since the start of their launch, they would have been repelled by Moskva's defense capabilities. However, this task of “lighting” the ship was carried out by drones that allowed the attention of the Russian crew to turn to these Turkish aircraft.

“The sinking of Moskva also reflects Russian shortcomings,” the publication notes. “The warship appeared to have been operating only 60 nautical miles from Odessa, with limited support from the rest of the fleet, perhaps because Russia underestimated the Ukrainian threat. The design of the ship also made it vulnerable. The 16 silos containing the P-1000 Vulcan anti-ship missiles were especially exposed. The shrapnel from a Neptune attack could have ignited the fuel of the rockets or detonated one or more warheads.”

Russian invading troops in Ukraine seem to have to learn quickly from their mistakes and lack of experience. It is reflected in the hundreds of tanks that irrigate most of the cities attacked. And also the Moskva, with the only difference that water does not allow to see its final destination - the bed of the Black Sea.

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