Ukraine developing naval-drone system to detain sanctioned ships in Black Sea

A Ukrainian GUR commander says a new system is being developed for naval drones (expected platform: “Katran”) aimed at policing missions—escorting and detaining sanctioned merchant vessels rather than sinking them. The concept includes multi-drone teaming: some drones securing the deck/temporarily detaining crew while others provide overwatch of the airspace, with an escalation option to rapidly sink noncompliant ships. This represents an expansion of USV roles from strike to maritime interdiction and control.