Russian ship fends off Ukrainian drone attack
The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the battleship Ivan Khurs repelled an attack by three Ukrainian drones. The ship was in the Black Sea, near the Bosphorus, protecting the TurkStream and Blue Stream pipelines that carry gas from Russia to Turkey.
“All enemy drones were destroyed by standard artillery from a Russian ship 140 kilometers northeast of the Bosphorus,” Russian defense spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in a statement published on Telegram. “The ship of the Black Sea Fleet Ivan Khurs continues to fulfill its duties.”
Ukraine has not yet commented on the episode.
TurkStream transports gas from Russia’s Taman Peninsula west along the breadth of the Black Sea to a point west of the Bosphorus. The Blue Stream, on the other hand, crosses the eastern Black Sea from north to south and reaches over 700 km east of the Bosphorus.
The ministry cited the attack as justification for Russia’s need to step up its defenses. Explosions last September damaged the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which transport gas from Russia to Germany through the Baltic Sea.
The Russian statement appears to be increasing tensions in the Black Sea, where just last week, a day ahead of schedule, Russia agreed to an extension of a deal allowing Ukraine to export grain from its seaports.