Ukrainian ships attacked Russian naval vessels transporting surrendered Ukrainian border guards via US UAVs, Moscow's defense ministry spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov said Saturday.

On Friday evening, 16 ships of the Ukrainian navy used "swarm tactics" to attack the Russian Black Sea Fleet vessels during the evacuation of 82 Ukrainian border guards that had voluntarily laid down their arms on Zmiinyi Island, Konashenkov said. Some of the Ukrainian ships used civilian boats as cover, he added. 

"The goal of this attack was mainly the revenge on Ukrainian soldiers who had laid down their arms, as well as the pretext to accuse the Russian army of killing prisoners. As a result of the sea battle, 6 boats of the Ukrainian navy were destroyed. There are no injuries among the 82 Ukrainian soldiers from Zmiinyi Island," Konashenkov said. 

The spokesperson highlighted that the Russians detected US strategic UAV RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9A Reaper in the area during the Ukrainian assault.

"It is highly likely that US UAVs directed Ukrainian ships toward the vessels of the Russian Black Sea Fleet," he said.

Kiev's aggression is one of the latest developments in the Russian operation in Ukraine.

Russia had for months been warning of the threat posed against it by NATO's attempts to expand eastward, which happened simultaneously with an increase in NATO military activity along Russia's borders, and batches of lethal weapons being sent to Ukraine, prompting Russia to request security guarantees from the West. Washington failed to provide the guarantees.

After the West did not respond to Russia's demands, and amid Ukrainian shelling on the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, President Vladimir Putin initiated a special military operation in Donbass. 

Moscow's ministry of foreign affairs informed the international community the operation in Ukraine was not the beginning of a war, but rather an attempt at curbing one after the west bombarded the situation with condemnations.