Russian authorities said that a sea drone attack damaged a Russian tanker near the strategic bridge linking Russia to the annexed peninsula of Crimea on Saturday. The SIG vessel, approaching the Kerch Strait linking the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, was hit by Ukrainian drones. The TASS news agency reported no fuel was spilled. Two tugboats have been sent to assist the ship carrying 11 crew members. The ship, its operator, and its owner were sanctioned by the United States in 2019 for helping to deliver jet fuel to Russian forces fighting in Syria on behalf of President Bashar al-Assad. It is the second time a Russian vessel has been hit by drones this week.
The Kremlin-backed authorities in Crimea, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014, said there were no injuries. They said traffic on the bridge and ferry transport was halted as a precaution. Sky News has been unable to verify the claims. Ukraine’s Interfax agency, citing an unnamed Ukrainian security service source, also said Ukraine’s navy was behind the attack with drones in its territorial waters. It did not provide further details. The Ukrainian military has not commented on the reports.
Attacks in the Black Sea by both sides have picked up since Moscow backed out of a grain export deal with Kyiv last month and warned it could also target Ukrainian ships. On Friday, Russian authorities thwarted an overnight drone attack by Ukraine against its significant naval base in Novorossiysk. The strikes came hours after Ukraine launched a drone attack against a large landing ship operated by Wagner mercenaries at the port of Feodosia in Crimea, leaving the amphibious vessel listing badly.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Twitter that Kyiv was trying to provoke a clash with the Russian military and warned of retaliation. He also urged both sides to use UAVs and their pilots with caution and restraint to avoid escalating the conflict.
Ukraine’s armed forces have been in an intense battle with pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine and are battling to control critical cities. After they seized three airports and overran a government-held border post in early February, they sought to dislodge the separatists from the government-controlled territory. In retaliation for the Ukrainian offensive, the Russian military has launched a series of drone attacks against civilian and military targets in Ukraine and the annexed Crimea peninsula. The attacks have included using armed drones against passenger aircraft and other civilian facilities. The Russian military has also been conducting airstrikes in eastern Ukraine. Russia has also deployed several warships in the disputed region and backed up its ground troops with a naval base on the Crimean coast. The war with Ukraine has killed more than 10,400 people and displaced hundreds of thousands. It is the longest-running war in Europe’s recent history.
