KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian drones have hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea, according to Russian officials and a video that circulated on social media.
The maritime drone attack on Friday night was the second in a day: hours earlier, Ukraine attacked a major Russian port.
As kyiv’s naval armaments increase, the Black Sea becomes an increasingly important battlefield in the war.
Three weeks ago, Moscow withdrew from a crucial export deal that allowed Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain to world markets, and then attacked Odessa and other Ukrainian ports.
A Ukrainian Security Service agent confirmed to the Associated Press that he was behind the attack on the tanker, which was carrying fuel to Russian forces. A naval drone equipped with 450 kilos of TNT was used, added the agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly.
“The tanker Sig (…) suffered a hole in the engine room near the starboard waterline, presumably as a result of a maritime drone strike,” the Russian Federal Agency for Maritime and River Transport wrote on Telegram, adding that among the 11 crew members there were no victims.
Vladimir Rogov, a Kremlin-appointed official in the southern province of Zaporizhia, which is partially occupied by Russia, said several of the crew suffered injuries caused by broken glass.
Without specifying whether Ukraine was responsible for the attack, Vasyl Malyuk, head of the Ukrainian agency, said that “these kinds of special operations are carried out in Ukrainian territorial waters and are completely legal.” Explosions of this type, he said, are “an absolutely logical and effective step against the enemy.”
The attack momentarily suspended maritime traffic on the Kerch bridge, a 19-kilometre-long structure that links Crimea, the peninsula annexed by the Kremlin, with Russia, as well as passenger transport.
Tugboats were mobilized to assist the tanker, which is sanctioned by the United States for helping to supply aviation fuel to Russian forces fighting in Syria, according to the Russian news agency Tass.
The attack on Friday night was the second maritime drone incident in one day.
Ukraine said its drones also struck a major Russian port on Friday and damaged a warship in an attack that highlighted Kiev’s growing naval capabilities as the Black Sea gains relevance as a battleground in the war.
The attack on Novorossiysk suspended shipping for a few hours and was the first against a Russian commercial port in almost 18 months of conflict. The port, which has a naval base, shipyards and an oil terminal and is crucial for Russian exports, is about 110km east of Crimea.
