(Moscow) The Russian army said on Tuesday that it destroyed two Ukrainian naval drones during the night that attacked one of its patrol boats in the Black Sea, at the heart of increased tensions between Kyiv and Moscow in recent days.
The two drones were “destroyed with the armament of the Russian ship at a distance of 1000 m and 800 m, no injuries”, indicated the Russian Ministry of Defense, specifying that this patrol boat, the “Sergei Kotov”, was 370 km southwest of Sevastopol.
Naval drones are boats that operate on the surface of the water, without a crew, controlled remotely. Moscow regularly accuses the Ukrainian army of using these devices, in addition to aerial drones, to attack targets in the Black Sea.
On July 17, Ukraine claimed responsibility for an attack with naval drones on the Kerch Bridge, vital infrastructure linking Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula.
The Black Sea is at the center of heightened tensions following Russia’s exit last week from an international deal over Ukrainian grain exports.
Moscow and Kyiv have alternately warned ships sailing the Black Sea, warning they could be targeted if they headed for enemy ports.
At the same time, several waves of drone attacks have hit annexed Crimea in recent days, while the Russian army has stepped up strikes on port and agricultural infrastructure in southern Ukraine bordering the Black Sea.