Russia foils Ukraine drone boats attack on warships in Turkish waters

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 May 2023 19:46

Russia's Defense Ministry says three Ukrainian speedboats made an unsuccessful attempt to target the Ivan Khurs ship.

Reportedly a Ukrainian unmanned water vessel in the Black Sea near the beach of Sevastopol, Crimea, in November 2022. (Social media)

A Ukrainian drone-boats attack targeting Russian naval ships inside Turkish waters was thwarted and the unmanned vessels were destroyed, Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The ships were tasked to guard undersea pipelines in Turkey's economic maritime zone.

"Today at 5:30 am (0230 GMT) the armed forces of Ukraine made an unsuccessful attempt to attack the Ivan Khurs ship of the Black Sea Fleet with three unmanned speedboats," the statement read.

The attack took place almost 140 km northeast of the Bosphorus Strait.

"The Ivan Khurs of the Black Sea Fleet continues to fulfill its mission," it added.

The Black Sea has witnessed several military incidents since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, most notably the sinking of the Russian Black Sea Fleet's flagship, the Moskva missile cruiser in August 2022. Ukraine claimed responsibility for the attack, and American media outlets reported that Washington assisted Kiev in the operation.

Last March, a US MQ-9 Reaper crashed in the sea, and the US blamed Russian fighters for targeting the aircraft's propellor.