Ukraine’s Barracuda maritime drones have disrupted a Russian troop rotation near Zaliznyi Port in the Kherson region, striking landing craft carrying Russian personnel, according to the 40th Separate Marine Brigade.
The brigade’s press service released footage showing the operation, which was carried out by the Barracuda special unit.
According to the unit, Ukrainian intelligence detected a Russian troop rotation in the Zaliznyi Port area. The information prompted a decision to use unmanned surface vessels to attack the Russian forces.
Russian troops attempted to stop the Ukrainian drones before they reached the target area. The unit said they used Geran-4 Siker jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles to attack the Ukrainian surface platforms.
The Russians made two attempts to destroy the maritime drones. According to the Ukrainian military, only one of the vessels was hit, while the remaining drones continued toward the designated launch area.
Once the Ukrainian maritime drones reached the launch point, the defenders deployed FPV drones from the platforms. The operators subsequently identified Russian boats carrying troops and attacked them.
The Barracuda unit said the operation disrupted the planned Russian troop rotation and destroyed the landing force.
The Barracuda surface drone was first publicly reported in August 2025, when the special unit said it had independently developed and deployed the platform to protect Ukraine’s coastline.
Depending on its configuration, the unmanned vessel can be used for a range of missions, including reconnaissance, strikes, transportation and evacuation. The platform can also be adapted for mine-laying, ammunition delivery and communications relay.
Some versions of the Barracuda are designed to serve as platforms for FPV drones, remotely operated weapons, electronic warfare equipment or explosive payloads.
The latest operation is another example of Ukraine’s use of unmanned maritime systems against Russian forces along the occupied and contested coastline.
In mid-July, servicemen from Ukraine’s 123rd Territorial Defence Brigade also used an unmanned surface platform during an operation on the Russian-occupied Kinburn Spit in the Mykolaiv region.
The maritime platform was used to establish a crossing point for a ground-based robotic system. After reaching the occupied shore, the ground drone was deployed to carry out a combat mission.
The system used in that operation was reportedly the Ukrainian-made Lynx unmanned ground vehicle equipped with a PKT machine gun.
