Russia examining parts of UAVs used in Sevastopol attack: Moscow
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The Russian Defense Ministry says that its specialists and experts kicked off an examination of the drones that targeted the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea.
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A view shows the Russian Navy's vessels near the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea, February 16, 2022 (Reuters)
The Russian Defense Ministry retrieved from the bottom of the sea and examined fragments of drones used to target Russian Black Sea Fleet ships and infrastructure near Odessa, the ministry revealed on Monday.
The ministry's specialists examined the Canadian-made navigation modules used in the UAVs in coordination with experts from other Russian-state agencies, the ministry added.
The attacks on Russia's fleet led to Moscow announcing that it was withdrawing its participation from the UN-brokered grain deal with Ukraine and Turkey, which prompted much awe from parties such as the United States and the United Nations.
Sevastopol in Russian Crimea has been a frequent target and is the headquarters for the Black Sea fleet and a logistical hub for operations in Ukraine.
The UN-brokered deal, signed by Turkey, Russia, and Ukraine on July 22, was set to expire on November 19. It established a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships transporting food and fertilizer from the Ukrainian Black Sea ports.
"According to the results of recovery of the information read from the memory of the navigation unit, it was established that the launch of the maritime drones was carried out from the coast near the city of Odessa," the Russian Ministry of Defense said.
According to Moscow, the UAVs were moving along the safe zone of the so-called grain corridor before they swerved toward the Russian naval base in Sevastopol, dealing some damage to it.
"In light of the terrorist act carried out by the Kiev regime with the participation of British experts against ships of the Black Sea fleet and civilian vessels involved in the security of grain corridors, Russia suspends its participation in the implementation of the agreement on the export of agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," the Russian defense ministry said on Telegram on Saturday.
Ukraine responded by calling it a "false pretext", while US President Joe Biden called it "purely outrageous" and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Moscow was "weaponizing food".
As a response, Ukraine and the UN stressed the agreement remains effective, as Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: "I call on all states to demand that Russia stop its hunger games and recommit to fulfilling its obligations."
UN Secretary-General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, commented, "It is vital that all parties refrain from any action that would imperil the Black Sea Grain Initiative which is a critical humanitarian effort."
"Coordinates of the trajectory of one of the maritime drones suggest that it was launched from the waters of the 'grain corridor' safe zone in the Black Sea," Moscow underlined.
"According to experts, this may indicate a preliminary launch of this drone from one of the civilian vessels chartered by Kiev or its Western supporters to export agricultural products from Ukrainian ports," the ministry said.
Russia pointed fingers at UK "specialists" for aiding in the preparation and execution of the strike, in addition to having a hand in explosions that targeted the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month. The UK replied by rejecting the claims, stating that "the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale."
Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said Saturday's drone attack was the "most massive" the area had seen. Calling on people not to panic, city authorities temporarily closed the area to boats and ferries.
