UAV event in Black Sea, Syvash Drilling Platform in Holitsynske Gas Field area, Ukraine on Thu 5th March 2026

The Ukrainian military have attacked units from Russian forces on the Syvash drilling rig in the Black Sea using maritime and aerial drones. In particular, a Russian Ka-27 helicopter was destroyed.

Source: Ukrainian Naval Forces

Details: The attack was carried out by units from the Naval Forces and the Special Operations Forces on the night of 4-5 March. Russian troops were on a drilling rig at the Holitsyn gas field in the waters of the Black Sea.

Quote: "This platform was used by the enemy as a point for surveillance, communications retransmission and deployment of electronic warfare and short-range air defence systems to control strike drones that were aimed at hitting infrastructure facilities in Odesa Oblast and Mykolaiv Oblast and posed a threat to civilian shipping."

More details: Russian units and the Ka-27 helicopter that tried to land on the drilling rig were attacked using uncrewed maritime drones and aerial unmanned aircraft. The Naval Forces say that in addition to equipment, they hit command and communications systems that the Russians had set up on the rig and also inflicted "significant personnel losses" on Russian troops.

The shipborne multi-purpose Ka-27 helicopter can detect modern submarines and surface targets, transmit data on them and carry out attacks using onboard weapons. Its maximum speed reaches 270 km/h and its flight range is 800 km. In February, such a helicopter of Russian forces had already been hit in Crimea.