The Russian Navy is installing "barbecue grills" on ships to protect against drones
The Russian Navy has begun installing metal "grills" and nets on its ships in an attempt to protect against Ukrainian drones. Such structures have already appeared on some patrol boats and patrol ships near the Crimean Bridge, according to Russian media reports.
Russian military ships have begun receiving new “protection” in the form of metal canopies and nets, which were previously installed en masse on tanks and are now being adapted for naval vessels due to the threat posed by Ukrainian drones.
Photos of such structures have already appeared in pro-Russian social media groups, specifically on the Project 21980 “Grachonok” anti-sabotage boat of the Black Sea Fleet and on Project 22460 “Okhotnik” border patrol ships, which are patrolling the waters near the Crimean Bridge.
According to Russian military bloggers, these measures are explained as an attempt to at least partially mitigate the consequences of potential attacks. “Materials have been purchased to cover the ship (and not just one, by the way) with chain-link fencing. An external high-explosive blast… at a distance of at least a couple of meters allows for saving the superstructure and the crew,” reads one of the posts on the “Two Majors” public page.
At the same time, Russian commentators themselves acknowledge that such protection is extremely limited and cannot guarantee safety against most types of weapons used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The author of the “Osvedomitiel” channel called the installation of such structures a forced measure and a sign of the lack of more effective solutions for protecting the fleet.
In his assessment, such “barbecues” can only be effective against individual drones with small warheads; however, in today’s environment, where drones are equipped with remote detonation systems, there is virtually no guarantee of protection.
The warin Ukraine will continue for a long time, says a German expert.
Zelenskyy reported heavy civilian casualties from Russian attacks over the past week
On May 16, Russian occupation forces carried out massive shelling of the Kherson region, resulting in one death and 15 civilians sustaining injuries of varying severity.
On the night of May 17, Ukrainian air defense forces shot down and neutralized 279 enemy drones out of 287 launched by Russian military units.
A 25-year-old woman was injured as a result of an enemy drone strike on a gas station in the Zaporizhzhia district.
