Defense Express Defense Express reported the information.Ghosts special unit of Ukraine’s military intelligence carried out a series of strikes on Russian military assets in temporarily occupied Crimea over several days.On September 21, three Mi-8 helicopters and a 55Zh6U Nebo-U radar system were destroyed.The following day, the unit targeted another Mi-8 and two Be-12 anti-submarine aircraft, which have been in service with the Russian Black Sea Fleet since 1960.Despite their age, the Be-12s remain operational, with no more than six currently in service, and were shown patrolling the Black Sea in footage released by Russia’s Ministry of Defense in December 2023.The Be-12’s main mission is to detect and neutralize enemy submarines, using acoustic buoys and magnetometers. Its bombs, such as the PLAB-250-120, are designed to detonate at set depths or near submarines using hydrostatic, magnetic, or hydroacoustic fuses.It remains notable why the Be-12 was specifically targeted. While one possibility is a “free hunt” — striking an enemy airfield where targets are known to be present — Defense Express analysts suggest it was a deliberate, targeted attack aimed at reducing Russian capabilities.Given the Be-12’s primary role as an anti-submarine aircraft, one likely objective was to create operational space for Ukrainian underwater drones. The Toloka family of such drones was recently publicly demonstrated at the 2025 Defense Tech Valley exhibition in Lviv, and Russian aircraft like the Be-12 would normally track these devices.A simpler explanation may be that the Be-12 also patrols for Ukrainian surface drones, such as Magura and See Baby, which pose a more immediate threat to Russian forces than underwater drones.