Ukraine destroyed a Russian helicopter with a naval drone in the Black Sea for the first time on December 31.

"Today, the entire Black Sea can be considered a contested maritime area in this sense, where both sides actually have a certain degree of freedom of action. And that freedom of action is clearly greater near the coast, where both sides have their own air defense systems, naval mines, and support from various weapons systems onshore," Värk told to Sunday's "Ukraina stuudio."

He added that ships are usually sent to sea only to carry out specific activities, but neither side takes excessive risks.

Both sides are making use of the gas drilling rigs in the Black Sea, he said: "These provide a good opportunity for both sides to deploy intelligence assets there and carry out maritime situational awareness from those areas. However, it is known that they are not permanently under the control of either side, meaning they change hands."

Asked if Ukraine has revolutionized the use of naval drones, Värk said there is a lot of hype around the subject

"Surface-based attack drones have indeed been an important tool for Ukraine, but their image and perhaps their usefulness may be slightly overstated in the public eye," he replied. "Ukraine itself says that they use naval drones precisely because they have no other means, they have nothing to offer against the Russian Black Sea Fleet."

He noted that out of 17 major Russian warships, only six have been damaged by Ukrainian naval drones.

"Depending on the sensors and communication equipment on the Magura drone, its cost is still somewhere around €400,000, making it quite an expensive tool," Värk said. "When speaking with Ukrainians, they have also claimed that, for instance, out of 20 drones sent out, none may reach their target. The Russian Federation's tactics and actions are constantly evolving, and this counteraction is something that makes the use of drones relatively ineffective."

The marine environment can be difficult for drones.

"When talking about drones as a whole, both drone technology and counter-drone measures at sea are developing at an incredible speed. However, many experts believe that drones will likely be an additional measure alongside traditional naval warfare tools and capabilities. That is, they will certainly help improve situational awareness and enhance intelligence activities, but they will not replace modern submarines, surface ships, missiles, mines, and such tools," Värk said.

Speaking about the Estonian Navy, Värk said bigger ships are needed to increase Estonia's capabilities in the Baltic Sea.

"Our current capabilities and resources are limited to minehunters and patrol boats, which are still very small, with relatively modest armaments. And their seaworthiness is not the best either. All three incidents with cables in the Baltic Sea actually occurred in very poor weather conditions, where our own ships wouldn't even have been able to operate," he said.

The Navy Commander said that when the Allied ships come, they will cover the entire Baltic Sea.

"I truly hope that when NATO ships arrive, and they are larger than our ships, it will help us fill that capability gap where we ourselves are lacking," he added.

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