Witnesses reported gunfire and at least one explosion at sea just off the coast of Novorossiysk
Russian patrol vessels have engaged and destroyed two incoming naval drones near the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar region, the Defense Ministry said in a brief statement on Friday morning.
Emergency services previously confirmed the sound of “explosions” in the area, according to RIA Novosti, but officials have yet to further details of the incident.
Multiple videos shared by Readovka, Mash, SHOT and other popular digital media showed what appeared to be gunfire by a patrol boat, and an unidentified object burning and exploding not far from the shore.
The sound of the blast was reportedly heard across the shore settlements of Myskhako, Yuzhnaya Ozereevka and Abrau-Dyurso.
The Russian military repeatedly reported on Ukrainian attempts to strike vessels and port cities with naval drones, which were mostly thwarted by Russian defense systems.
Moscow also stated that the Ukrainian forces had taken advantage of the grain corridors to stage attacks, including the strikes on the Crimean Bridge.
On Wednesday, Ukraine attacked Russian military ship escorting a civilian vessel in the Black Sea with a speedboat-type drone, according to the Defense Ministry. The ministry reported a similar attack on Tuesday, saying it involved three naval drones targeting civilian Russian vessels sailing towards the Bosphorus. The convoys’ escorts thwarted the attacks in both cases.
