The Defense Ministry has reported striking a stockpile of Ukrainian sea drones used by Kiev to attack the Russian fleet
FILE PHOTO. A Russian Iskander tactical ballistic missile launcher. © Sputnik / The Russian Defense Ministry
The Russian Defense Ministry on Sunday reported it had destroyed several high-value assets in Ukraine, including anti-aircraft systems, a radar, and a stockpile of Western supplied naval drones.
Kiev has been touting its sea drones as a home-grown weapon, which it has repeatedly used to attack Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. However, the ministry described the destroyed assets in its daily briefing as “supplied to Ukraine by NATO countries.”
The Russian military did not provide any further information on the strike, but a major explosion was reported overnight in the Ukrainian city of Odessa, believed to be their primary sea drone base. The blast apparently occurred at the city’s port, followed by multiple secondary detonations.
A separate strike hit a port facility located in the Odessa suburb of Peresyp. The attack is believed to have targeted a fuel depot, with a major fire observed at the facility.
The Defense Ministry also claimed destruction of at least two Soviet-era S-300 anti-aircraft systems, as well as a P-18 very high frequency (VHF) radar. It was not immediately clear whether the radar was an original Soviet-made system or a modern Ukrainian upgrade to it, namely a P-18 Malachite. Thus far, no footage to corroborate the claims has emerged online.
Intense combat continued along the frontline, with the ministry’s daily briefing saying the opposing sides were engaged in artillery duels over the past 24-hour period.
The Russian military has reported striking multiple artillery platforms, including US-made M777 and M119 howitzers, and at least one British-made FH70 towed and one German-made self-propelled PzH2000 howitzer. Multiple Soviet-made artillery pieces, both towed and self-propelled, were reported destroyed and damaged over the past day as well.
