Suur says command system enabled successful Ust-Luga attack

A sophisticated command system helped make this week’s Ukrainian attack on the Ust-Luga port successful, Lieutenant Colonel Marten Suur told ERR’s Ukraine Studio.

The exact number of drones sent to the area is unknown, but Suur estimated it was probably around 1,000. They were gathered near the target and held there until enough were in place, he said.

To overwhelm Russian air defences, the drones attacked industrial facilities and infrastructure at the port, including fuel and oil tanks, pumping stations, liquid-fuel loading facilities, railway junctions and a local substation. The attack temporarily cut the electricity supply. Some drones also targeted a small Russian missile ship at sea.

Suur said the drones were controlled using a combination of methods, including two-way satellite communications, pre-programmed routes guided by landmarks, and probably machine vision combined with an element of artificial intelligence.

He said the Ukrainian forces avoided using too much ammunition on any one target. Once they determined that an object had been hit or sufficiently damaged, they redirected the following drones to other targets.

The Russian vessel, about 60 metres long, is primarily capable of launching cruise missiles. It also has limited air defences, which Suur said were insufficient in this instance.

Suur said the ship was probably not part of the Ukrainians’ original plan. He described the strike as an opportunity: the vessel was spotted in the area and did not carry out defensive manoeuvres that ships would normally use in such circumstances.