Several unmanned speedboats and aircraft attempted to strike the port city of Sevastopol, according to the governor
FILE PHOTO © Sputnik / Vasiliy Batanov
The Russian military has prevented a mass drone attack on Sevastopol, according to Mikhail Razvozhaev, the governor of the Crimean port city that hosts Russia’s Black Sea fleet. The attempted strike comes amid a coordinated series of drone raids on other Russian regions on Wednesday morning.
Several unmanned vehicles targeted Sevastopol bay, but were detected and neutralized by the Black Sea Fleet forces, the official claimed around 3am local time. Ukraine allegedly deployed both unmanned speedboats and aircraft during the latest attempted strike on the Russian peninsula, but officials have yet to clarify the exact types and number of drones involved in the raid.
Razvozhaev said no facilities in the city were damaged, adding that all security services “continue to monitor the situation.” The Russian Defense Ministry has yet to comment on the attempted raid on Sevastopol
At the same time, the Russian military was busy preventing a series of coordinated Ukrainian drone strikes across five other Russian regions spanning from the Ukrainian border to Moscow. Between midnight and 4am, more than half a dozen drones were intercepted over Bryansk, Orel, Kaluga, Ryazan and Moscow regions, the Defense Ministry said.
The most significant attack, which involved at least 10 drones, targeted an airport in the city of Pskov, according to the regional governor. There were no reports of casualties, but the raid reportedly caused damage to at least two Il-76 transport aircraft, according to the emergencies ministry. The military has yet to confirm these reports.
READ MORE: Swarm of drones attack airport in Russian city near NATO state – governor
Ukraine has previously launched “drone swarms” at Crimea, where they were met with intense Russian air defenses. Groups of two to three UAVs also targeted the Moscow City trade center in the Russian capital, causing minor property damage and no casualties. The Kremlin has dismissed the attacks as a “nuisance” and an act of desperation, intended to distract from Kiev’s failure on the battlefield.
