Russia claims to have intercepted a United States drone over the Black Sea, on Saturday (August 5). Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that a Russian missile strike hit a facility of the Ukraine-based aeronautics group.
Russia about the US drone
The Russian defence ministry, in a statement, said that it scrambled a Su-30 fighter jet to “prevent a violation of the Russian state border” after a US Reaper MQ-9 military drone was detected over the Black Sea.
“As the Russian fighter approached, the foreign reconnaissance drone performed a U-turn away from the border,” said the Russian officials. The ministry also claimed that the drone belonged to the US Air Force.
It added, “The Russian aircraft returned safely to its airbase, there was no violation of the border.” This comes as reports about incidents involving Russian and Western aircraft have multiplied over the Black Sea and Baltic Sea in recent months.
Both Russia and Ukraine reported that a Ukrainian sea drone full of explosives struck a Russian fuel tanker overnight, on Saturday, near the Crimean bridge, in the second such attack in 24 hours.
The bridge, in question, links Russia to Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014. A Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters that the drone with 450 kilograms of explosives hit the SIG vessel as it transported fuel for the Russian military in Ukrainian territorial waters.
“The tanker was well loaded with fuel, so the ‘fireworks’ were seen from afar,” said the report by Reuters citing an intelligence source.
Kyiv is in the midst of its long-awaited counteroffensive against Moscow to recapture its territory and has been destroying Russia’s military infrastructure inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, as per reports.
Russian missile strike hits Ukraine aeronautics firm
Zelensky, on Saturday (August 5), said that a Russian missile strike hit a facility of the Ukrainian aeronautics group Motor Sich, one of the companies requisitioned by the government since the beginning of Moscow’s invasion back in February 2022.
“Today there was another Russian missile attack against our country. Kinzhals, Calibers. They hit Motor Sich,” said Zelensky, during his evening address. The facility is located near Khmelnytskyi in western Ukraine around 300 kilometres southwest of Kyiv.
According to the Ukrainian president, the strike included Russia’s hypersonic Kinzhal weapons, adding that “some of the missiles were shot down.” The Khmelnytskyi region which is hundreds of kilometres from the front lines is also home to a major Ukrainian airbase and is regularly targeted by Russian strikes.
Notably, Motor Sich makes plane and helicopter engines and other components and was taken over by the government in Kyiv as a part of its “strategic” firms taken over by Ukraine’s defence ministry last November.
(With inputs from agencies)
Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos
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