Russia thwarts drone attack on Black Sea Fleet in Crimea

Russia says it has thwarted a drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet involved in ensuring the security of the ‘grain corridor’ in Crimea’s Sevastopol port.

The Russian military said on Saturday its ships had been targeted in a drone attack in the bay of Sevastopol.

“Today, starting at 04:30am for several hours, various air defense systems in Sevastopol repelled drone attacks,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Saturday. He said all the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) had been shot down and no "civilian infrastructure" had been damaged. Razvozhayev said there were no casualties in the attack.

Russia blamed Ukraine and Britain for the drone attack in the largest city in the Crimean peninsula.

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement the “preparation of this terrorist act … were carried out under the guidance of British specialists located in the city of Ochakiv in Ukraine’s Mykolaiv region.”

It said “the ships of the Black Sea Fleet that were attacked by terrorists are involved in ensuring the security of the ‘grain corridor’ as part of an international initiative to export agricultural products from Ukrainian ports.”

Earlier this week, Razvozhayev said a drone had attacked a thermal power station near Sevastopol. 

The Russian fleet stationed in the port had also been attacked by a drone in July.

SS