Black Sea: Russia says it foiled Ukrainian drone attack on civilian cargo ships in Black Sea

Russia stated on Saturday it had repelled an tried Ukrainian drone assault on Russian “civilian transport ships” on Friday night within the southwestern a part of the Black Sea, a key artery for grain and oil exports from each international locations.

Civilian vessels on the Black Sea haven’t usually been focused since Moscow ordered its troops into Ukraine in February 2022, however final July each side stated they might begin treating ships headed to the opposite’s ports as potential carriers of army cargo.

In a press release posted on the Telegram messaging app, Russia’s Defence Ministry stated Ukraine had tried what it referred to as “a terrorist assault on Russian civilian transport ships utilizing semi-submersible naval drones”. It stated Russian patrol boats and warplanes had averted the assault, destroying one Ukrainian naval drone by artillery fireplace and disabling the remaining by digital warfare. No Russian civilian or army vessels had been broken, it stated.

Reuters couldn’t confirm the Russian account. There was no speedy remark from Ukraine.

Final July, Russia refused to resume a Turkish-brokered deal offering for secure grain exports via the area and stated all ships heading to Ukrainian ports can be handled as potential carriers of army cargo. A day later, Ukraine stated it might undertake the identical stance on ships certain for Russian and Russian-controlled Ukrainian ports. It was not clear exactly the place the assault came about. The southwestern a part of the Black Sea adjoins Turkey’s Bosphorus Strait via which cargoes leaving the ocean journey.

Ukraine has in current months mounted a sequence of drone and missile assaults on Russian army targets within the Black Sea, sinking no less than one naval vessel and damaging others.

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