Conflicts & War

7 killed in Ukraine drone strike on Russian Black Sea ship, Kyiv says

Kyiv, Mar 5 (EFE).- Ukraine’s military intelligence service (GUR) on Tuesday claimed it had sunk a Russian ship in the Black Sea using Ukrainian-made naval drones, killing at least seven people.

“According to preliminary data, seven crew members were killed and six more wounded in the strike on the Russian patrol ship Sergei Kotov, which led to the destruction of the vessel,” the official outlet Ukrinform reported, citing a GUR intelligence report.

The latest strike by Ukraine on a Russian military ship came in Ukrainian territorial waters that are under Russian control, near the Kerch Strait which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov and which separates the occupied Crimean peninsula from the Russian Federation.

As a result of the drone attack, the Russian patrol vessel “suffered damage to the stern” and both sides, according to the Ukrainian GUR, which estimates the value of the ship at about $65 million.

The mission, which resulted in the ship being “destroyed”, involved the Ukrainian Navy and support from Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation, which is in charge of some of the most ambitious drone manufacturing programs.

While the Kremlin has not commented on Ukraine’s claims, Russian media reported explosions in the Kerch Strait that have forced Russian authorities to temporarily close civilian train traffic on the bridge linking the occupied peninsula with Russia.

According to Kyiv, Ukraine has managed to sink one-third of the total strength of the Russian Black Sea Fleet since the beginning of the war in February 2022. EFE

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