Kyiv, on Tuesday (Mar 5) claimed that it used sea drones to down a Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship near the Kerch strait in occupied Crimea. Meanwhile, a military intelligence source in Kyiv told AFP that Ukraine also struck an oil depot in the Russian border region of Belgorod and set at least one fuel tank ablaze.
Attack on Russian warship in Crimea
The latest reported attack on a Russian warship in Crimea delivers a further blow to Moscow’s naval power and its control over the Black Sea as Ukrainian forces continue to face losses elsewhere amid the ongoing war.
The Ukrainian intelligence agency (HUR), on Tuesday, took to Telegram and said that a special unit Group 13 attacked the Russian Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait.
“As a result of a strike by Magura V5 maritime drones, the Russian ship Project 22160 Sergey Kotov sustained damage to the stern, starboard and port sides,” said the Ukrainian intelligence agency. The ship is said to be worth around $65 million, according to HUR.
The dramatic footage of the attack claimed by Kyiv shows a Ukrainian kamikaze drone closing in on the Russian vessel before a drone hits the ship’s hull causing a large explosion. Subsequently, the video shared by the Group 13 special unit, shows several other drones attacking a jagged hole caused by the first strike.
Andriy Yermak, President Volodymyr Zelensky also took to Telegram and said how the “Russian Black Sea Fleet is a symbol of occupation” and it “cannot be in the Ukrainian Crimea,” in an apparent reference to the attack.
The fate of the Russian warship and its crew of around 60 people was not immediately known. HUR said that the attack was conducted in coordination with the naval forces of the armed forces of Ukraine, and the digital transformation ministry.
Train and highway traffic disrupted: Russian-installed officials
Trains were briefly halted on the bridge linking the Crimean peninsula – which Moscow annexed in 2014 – to the Russian mainland, reported Reuters citing the Telegram channel of a Russia-installed official in Crimea.
The Telegram channel of the Russian-installed administration managing the bridge also reportedly said that highway traffic was suspended for several hours before reopening just around 0700 GMT.
Ukraine attack on oil depot: Report
A Ukrainian drone hit the facility in the Russian village of Dolgoye which is around four kilometres from the border, reported AFP citing an intelligence source in Kyiv.
Belgorod region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said that emergency services are dealing with a fire that broke out at an “infrastructure facility,” adding that there were no casualties, but did not mention any drone attack.
Ukraine has ramped up attacks on the Russian energy industry over the past three months or so. Kyic also conducted artillery strikes in the neighbouring region of Kursk which sparked a fire at a train station and cut power to a village.
“The Glushkovo railway station was shelled from the Ukrainian side. A total of nine incoming attacks were counted, there were no casualties,” said region governor, Roman Starovoit.
He also said that electricity lines were “damaged” and that both the station and the village of Kulbaki were left without power.
“As soon as it is safe, emergency crews will start restoring it,” Starovoit added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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