In the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, Russia has charged Ukraine with conducting a “massive” drone strike against the Black Sea Fleet. Nine aerial drones and seven marine drones were used in the attack, which started at 04:20 (01:20 GMT), according to Russian officials. The strikes are alleged to have damaged at least one warship. The incident has not yet been confirmed by Ukraine. Recently, Russian-occupied area has been successfully retaken by Ukrainian troops. Russia’s response has been to start widespread assaults on Ukrainian infrastructure, particularly the nation’s electrical grid. The governor of Sevastopol who was placed by Russia, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said that Russia’s navy had thwarted the most recent assault.
According to the governor, the attacks were the “most massive” to hit the city since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in February. He claimed that no “civilian infrastructure” had been harmed and that all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had been shot down. According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, one warship, at least, suffered minor damage.
In response to a terrorist attack on Sevastopol’s outer roadstead, the Black Sea Fleet’s naval aviation and use of naval weaponry destroyed four marine unmanned vehicles, while three further devices were destroyed on the interior roadstead, according to a statement from the ministry.
Additionally, according to Russia, the ships that were allegedly attacked on Saturday morning were tasked with protecting the “grain corridor” as part of a global push to transport agricultural goods from Ukrainian ports. The deal, which was mediated by the UN and Turkey, allowed Ukraine to resume grain exports to the Black Sea, which had been halted when Russia invaded the nation. The UN secretary general personally negotiated it, and it was hailed as a significant diplomatic triumph that lessened a severe world food crisis.
However, Russia complains that its own exports continue to be constrained and has already said it may not renew the agreement. In recent days, Kiev has charged Moscow with purposefully slowing down ship traffic, resulting in a line-up of more than 170 boats.
The largest city in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, is Sevastopol. The cruiser Moskva, which served as the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s flagship, was lost in April of this year as a result of a prior attack by Ukrainian forces. The 510-crew missile cruiser’s sinking was a significant symbolic and military defeat because it had led Russia’s naval assault on Ukraine. Additionally, Ukrainian military have attacked the fleet’s base on the Crimean Peninsula in recent weeks. An explosion took place earlier this month on the Crimean bridge, which served as a crucial symbol of Russia’s invasion of Crimea.