- Russian Tanker Destroyed in Ukrainian Black Sea Attack
- Second Incident in Two Days Raises Tensions in the Kerch Strait
- Growing Naval Clashes and Talks Amidst Escalating Russia-Ukraine Conflict
Russian sources said a Ukrainian Black Sea bombardment destroyed a Russian tanker with eleven crew members.
They reported that the engine compartment of the vessel was damaged during the overnight attack in the Kerch Strait. No one was injured.
Ukraine has not commented publicly. However, a Ukrainian security service source told that a maritime drone was used.
Saturday’s assault is the second such incident in as many days. However, Russia has not acknowledged any damage from Friday’s attack.
Small unmanned vessels that operate on or beneath the surface of the water.
The Kerch Strait connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating Russia’s Taman peninsula from Ukraine’s Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
Ukraine’s SBU security service said Saturday’s action involved the Ukrainian navy and 450kg of TNT.
According to them, the tanker was laden with fuel, so the “fireworks” were visible from a distance.
According to Russia’s maritime transport agency, the Sig tanker was located approximately 27 kilometers south of the Crimean Bridge.
A representative of Russia’s regional Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) was quoted by Russia’s state-run Tass news agency as saying that two tugboats had already arrived at the attack site, just south of the Kerch Strait.
The engine compartment sustained damage. The damage was minimal, but it was there,” the official said.
The Russian maritime transport agency RosMorRechFlot later reported that the ship had a breach “in the area of the engine room near the waterline on the port side, presumably due to a sea drone attack.”
“The ship is afloat,” the report continued.
Amid threats of an imminent assault, Russian state-run media also reported that the Crimean Bridge’s lights were turned off and all traffic was stopped.
According to Ukrainian security sources, a Ukrainian naval drone attack near Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk caused significant damage to a Russian naval vessel on Friday.
Later, footage allegedly showed the drone colliding with the Olenegorsky Gornyak large landing ship. Another unverified video showed a vessel that was severely drifting being towed into port.
However, Russia’s defense ministry stated that it had repelled an attack by two Ukrainian sea drones on its naval base in Novorossiysk, without admitting any damage.
Novorossiysk, a significant export center for Russia, is located southeast of the Kerch Strait.
In recent weeks, the number of naval clashes has increased as a result of Russia’s withdrawal from a significant United Nations agreement that facilitated the export of grain across the Black Sea.
Russian drones and missiles have bombarded Ukrainian ports, and Kyiv has pledged retaliation.
“It is evident that it is impossible to win the war if you do not actively attack,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, a presidential adviser for Ukraine, in response to a question about Western allies who may be growing anxious about the war spreading far beyond Ukraine’s borders.
He thinks photos of damaged Russian ships will deter Moscow from blackmailing the Black Sea.
While Kyiv denies using drones to strike deeper into Russian territory, it has stated that it considers threats to occupied territories and adjacent waters fair game.
Russia controls the Black Sea and Sea of Azov, and two ships’ damage is unlikely to change this.
However, previous Ukrainian counteroffensives were fueled by their capacity to sever key Russian supply lines.
If it could immobilise a huge Russian cruiser and oil tanker in two days, it expects to disable more warships.
The impact of this conflict seems to be growing.
Later Saturday, Saudi Arabia will hold talks on ending the Ukraine war.
About thirty countries, excluding Russia, have been invited to attend the meeting in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.
In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
