Class operation of the Ukrainian Navy. Boats guarding the Kerchi bridge in Crimea, hit by drones
Drones hit key ships used to secure passage and combat sabotage in the Black Sea.
The Ukrainian Navy attacked Russian boats guarding the Kerch Bridge in occupied Crimea on Thursday morning, April 30.
“The forces and means of the Ukrainian Navy caused damage to the Russian naval fleet in the area of the Kerch Strait”the Navy said in a Telegram statement.
According to the report, the attack hit the Sobol patrol boat of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) and the anti-sabotage boat Grachonok, Kyiv Post writes.
“As a result of the attack, the enemy suffered irreparable and sanitary losses”the release states.
The Navy said the ships are key units of the FSB Border Service Coast Guard and the Russian Navy, used to guard the Kerch Bridge and counter sabotage operations.
“This is another example of the effective work of the Ukrainian Navy and the constant reduction of the enemy's capabilities in the Black Sea”the release states.
A short video released by the Navy appears to show the moment of the drone strike, but the Kyiv Post could not independently verify the time or location of the recording.
On April 29, a unit of the Ukrainian Navy attacked the sanctioned oil tanker Marquise with naval drones near Tuapse on the Russian Black Sea coast, Ukraine's General Staff reported.
The Cameroonian-flagged ship of more than 37,000 tons was adrift without cargo about 210 km (130 miles) from Tuapse, Russia, with its automatic identification system (AIS) disabled, possibly awaiting a transfer from one ship to another.
The impact hit the stern, causing an explosion in the propeller and engine room area. The damage is still being assessed.
In early April, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) reported that its special forces had destroyed the Slavyanin – Russia's last rail ferry in the Kerch Strait.
According to HUR, the vessel was part of Russia's ferry crossing to Kerch, used to supply troops in occupied Crimea, including transporting fuel, weapons, ammunition and military equipment.
The attack was carried out in the early hours of April 6, when HUR's Active Operations Department took the ferry out of service using drones.
It was not the first time the ship was targeted. It was damaged in a previous operation in March but remained afloat.
Previously, on July 23, 2024, the Ukrainian Navy, together with other military units, rammed the ferry in the Russian port of Port Kavkaz, where it suffered several direct hits.
