Direct proof of use
The MAGURA V7 is documented in the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War through official Ukrainian Defence Intelligence reporting and follow-up reporting on the May 2025 Black Sea aircraft engagement. DIU reported that its Group 13 special operations unit, coordinating with the Security Service of Ukraine and Ukraine's Defence Forces, destroyed a Russian Su-30 near Novorossiysk on May 2, 2025 with a missile launched from a MAGURA naval-drone platform.
DIU's May 15, 2025 public presentation identified MAGURA V7 as the Magura variant that destroyed enemy fighter aircraft and showed the V7 with two AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. The War Zone separately reported, citing DIU chief Kyrylo Budanov, that MAGURA-7 drone boats fired AIM-9 missiles in an engagement that downed two Russian Su-30 fighters over the Black Sea.
Sources: World First MAGURA Su-30 Shootdown, Era of Magura Presentation, Two Russian Su-30 Flankers Downed by AIM-9s
Timeline
The first dated public combat milestone is May 2, 2025, when DIU said a MAGURA naval-drone missile strike destroyed a Russian Su-30 near Novorossiysk. On May 3, Budanov told The War Zone that the engagement involved three MAGURA-7 drone boats and AIM-9 missiles, with two boats firing on the aircraft.
On May 14, 2025, DIU publicly unveiled the Magura family in Kyiv and presented V7 as a new missile-armed naval drone. DIU's own account connected the V7 to the Su-30 shootdowns, while The War Zone's later technical report described the displayed V7 as carrying AIM-9 missiles on elevated rails and noted the separate machine-gun configuration.
Sources: World First MAGURA Su-30 Shootdown, Two Russian Su-30 Flankers Downed by AIM-9s, Era of Magura Presentation, TWZ MAGURA-7 Technical Details
Narrative
In this conflict record, the V7's documented role is Ukrainian unmanned naval air defense in the Black Sea. The available sources place the system under Ukraine's Defence Intelligence and Group 13, with the best-supported use being missile launches against Russian Su-30 fighters operating near Novorossiysk.
The V7 should be separated from the earlier MAGURA V5 in this context. DIU has credited MAGURA V5 with the December 2024 Mi-8 helicopter shootdowns, while the May 2025 fighter engagement is the public source set that identifies MAGURA V7 or MAGURA-7. Open reporting also shows that the V7 can carry other mission fits, including a machine-gun module, but the published conflict-use evidence for this page centers on the AIM-9-armed air-defense configuration.
USNI Proceedings later described MAGURA V7 as the larger 2025 Magura variant, armed with Sidewinder missiles and credited with shooting down two Russian Su-30 strike fighters in May. That account supports the family distinction and technical context, while the direct conflict-use claim rests chiefly on DIU's official reporting and Budanov's interview with The War Zone.
Sources: Era of Magura Presentation, Two Russian Su-30 Flankers Downed by AIM-9s, TWZ MAGURA-7 Technical Details, USNI MAGURA Naval Drones
