The Russian government assured on Friday (September 1, 2023) that it had destroyed three naval drones in the Black Sea that, according to its Defense Ministry, were on their way to the Crimean bridge.
According to an official report published on Telegram, Moscow on Friday evening thwarted an attempt by the Kiev government to attack “a half-loaded unmanned vessel” that was “located and destroyed in time off the coast of the Black Sea.”
Hours later, a “third Ukrainian semi-submersible without a crew,” also reportedly sent to attack the Crimean bridge, was “destroyed in the Black Sea,” the Russian military unit said.
There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities on the matter.
The Crimean Bridge, completed in 2018, four years after Russia occupied and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula, has been repeatedly attacked during Moscow’s 18-month large-scale invasion of the neighboring country.
Ukraine claimed responsibility for an attack on the bridge in July by a so-called naval drone. Two people were killed in this incident.
The 19 km long bridge over the Kerch Strait was severely damaged in October 2022 by an explosion from a truck that exploded while crossing the strait.
gs (afp, Portal)
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