The invisible hunter of the Black Sea — Ukraine’s Toloka underwater drone-torpedo is rewriting the rules of modern naval warfare. With a reported range of up to 2,000 km, Toloka is designed to covertly travel beneath the waves, striking Russian warships, ports, and strategic facilities far beyond the reach of traditional weapons. This revolutionary system shows that the future battlefield is no longer limited to the skies or the land, but now extends deep underwater.
Toloka is not a single drone, but a whole family of autonomous systems. The TLK-150, a compact 2.5-meter-long model, can deliver up to 50 kg of explosives across a distance of 100 km, making it a deadly tool for near-shore strikes. The TLK-400 is larger, capable of carrying a 500 kg warhead over 1,200 km, enabling long-range precision attacks. The most formidable of all, the TLK-1000, is a 12-meter-long giant with a 2,000 km range and a staggering 5,000 kg explosive payload — making it comparable to cruise missiles in both reach and destructive potential.
What makes Toloka so dangerous is its stealth design. Equipped with a hydrodynamic keel, torpedo-style hull, and a mast carrying cameras, antennas, and navigation systems, the drone stays hidden beneath the waterline while maintaining communication and satellite corrections when needed. This allows it to bypass traditional detection systems, making it extremely difficult for enemy forces to track or intercept.
On June 3, 2025, Ukraine’s SBU announced a special operation that damaged a support of the Crimean Bridge. Reports suggested that underwater drones such as Toloka or its counterpart Marichka may have been used, with an explosive charge estimated at over 1.1 tons of TNT. While the exact model was not confirmed, the incident demonstrated how unmanned underwater systems can deliver devastating results against critical infrastructure.
Toloka’s existence forces Russia to invest massive resources into new defenses. Hydroacoustic sensors, anti-torpedo systems, underwater nets, and constant monitoring may be required to protect ships and bases. Even then, the simple presence of Toloka creates uncertainty, stretching resources and reducing operational freedom. Like aerial drones changed the skies, underwater drones are now changing the seas.
This is more than a weapon — it’s a symbol of a new era in warfare. Ukraine has shown that it can develop cutting-edge technologies that challenge traditional naval supremacy. The Black Sea is no longer safe for the Russian fleet, and the arrival of Toloka proves that the balance of power can shift not only with aircraft and missiles, but with silent hunters moving beneath the surface.
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