Magura V5

The Magura V5 is a Ukrainian-designed autonomous surface vessel (ASV), a naval drone capable of operating without a crew, developed by Ukraine's defence industry and deployed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). It is approximately 5.5 metres long, carries a warhead of around 200 kg of explosives, and operates at speeds of up to 42 knots. The Magura V5 has been used extensively in the Black Sea since 2023 to strike Russian naval vessels and infrastructure, operating beyond the range of conventional Ukrainian naval power.

In March and April 2026, an RFI investigation revealed the Magura V5 had been extended to Mediterranean operations launched from Ezzawiya port in Libya. On 4 March 2026, a Magura V5 launched from Ezzawiya struck and disabled the Russian LNG carrier Arctic Metagaz, a 277-metre vessel carrying 60,000 tonnes of LNG toward Egypt, in the open Mediterranean between Malta and Sirte.

The Magura V5's Mediterranean deployment marks a qualitative shift in Ukraine's naval campaign. Originally confined to the Black Sea, where it contributed to forcing the Russian Black Sea Fleet away from Ukrainian coastal waters, the drone is now interdicting Russian energy exports on international sea lanes. This expansion threatens Russia's ability to route LNG and oil through the Mediterranean regardless of which flag or insurance scheme the vessel uses, and establishes a precedent for autonomous naval warfare in open ocean conditions FAR from the originating state's territory.