Dorozvidka #38: the historic Sub Sea Baby strike, plus Babenko, Khoroshylova, Sapsan, Chamberlain, and Verkhovodov

Two pieces of news that pleased the editorial team the most this week:

• Ukraine has developed an underwater drone capable of inflicting critical damage on Russian submarines – confirmed in practice;
• Fighters from the Khartiia brigade used a UGV to rescue five puppies from the frontline.

In addition, several interesting interviews, podcasts, and columns were published during the week featuring Vyriy Industries co-founder and CEO Oleksii Babenko, D3 partner Anton Verkhovodov, coordinator of the Defence and Security group at the Ukraine Facility Platform Olha Khoroshylova, director of UKRSPECSYSTEMS UK Rory Chamberlain, and former Ministry of Defence official Oleksandr Liiev. A brief overview is in the new Dorozvidka.

Anton Verkhovodov on the blind spots in modern defence technologies

D3 fund partner Anton Verkhovodov wrote an op-ed for New Defense. In it, he discusses defence technology verticals that entrepreneurs, engineers, and investors unfairly ignore or do not give enough attention to. In his view, working on high-quality projects in these areas could soon have a direct impact on the battlefield in Ukraine and create commercial potential comparable to drone startups in 2022–2024.

Read the article. 

Underwater drone Sub Sea Baby blows up a Russian submarine – for the first time in history

On 15 December, the Security Service of Ukraine reported a new unique operation. “For the first time in history, Sub Sea Baby underwater drones blew up a Russian Project 636.3 ‘Varshavyanka’ class submarine (NATO classification: Kilo),” the SBU statement said. “As a result of the explosion, the submarine sustained critical damage and was effectively put out of action.”

It is reported that the submarine carried four Kalibr cruise missile launchers, which the enemy uses to strike Ukrainian territory.

A major interview with Vyriy Industries co-founder and CEO Oleksii Babenko

Vyriy is one of Ukraine’s largest drone manufacturers. In 2025, the company was also actively engaged in M&A, acquiring a UGV development project and buying stakes in three UAV manufacturers. Vyriy Industries’ co-founder and CEO is 26-year-old Oleksii Babenko. Last week, DOU published a major interview with him in which he spoke about the development of drone autonomy, salary levels in the sector, investor interest, drone exports to Europe, real frontline challenges, and much more.

A new episode of Zbroya: Olha Khoroshylova as guest

Militarnyi released a new video as part of its Zbroya project, created in collaboration with the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry. The guest was Olha Khoroshylova, coordinator of the Defence and Security group at the Ukraine Facility Platform. She spoke about the historic European rearmament programme, SAFE, and the involvement of Ukrainian defence companies in it, including joint arms procurement and €300 million in investments into the Ukrainian industry.

Sapsan: news on Ukrainian ballistics

Last week, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the start of combat use of Ukrainian Sapsan ballistic missiles. He did not disclose details, but his words served as a signal for a more open discussion of Sapsan within the expert community.

In particular, Oleksandr Liiev, Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defence’s State Procurement Department in 2022–2023, writes that the ministry signed its first state contract for the purchase of the 1KR1 “Sapsan” OTRK in 2022. According to the former official, the first tests of the missile system took place in 2023, the first test strikes against Russian targets occurred in 2024, and in 2025 “the system entered systematic use”.

How the British business of Ukrspecsystems is developing

In September 2025, Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems announced a £200 million investment programme in the United Kingdom. The funds are intended to establish production of Ukrainian UAVs on British territory. Rory Chamberlain, director of UKRSPECSYSTEMS UK, spoke about the progress of this project on Militarnyi’s podcast.

Chamberlain stated that the first phase of launching British production of Ukrainian drones in the UK is expected to be completed at the beginning of next year. According to him, at this stage, the facility should be fully production-ready, including equipment setup, certification processes, and the initiation of initial technological procedures.