Russian forces stops Ukraine 'terrorist' attack on Crimea's Sevastopol, announces defence ministry

Russia’s defence ministry announced on Sunday that its forces have stopped Ukraine from invading the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, destroying seven airborne and two underwater drones.

“This morning, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by seven unmanned aerial vehicles and two unmanned underwater vehicles on objects on the territory of the Crimean Peninsula near the city of Sevastopol was thwarted,” the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

According to the government, there were no injuries or property damage.

According to the report, two airborne drones were shot down over the Black Sea far from the shore, while five were detected by Russia’s electronic warfare troops.

Two unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), also known as underwater drones, were detected and destroyed by fire in the northern Black Sea, according to the ministry.

Earlier, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Sevastopol governor appointed by Moscow, stated on the Telegram messaging app that the strikes were over the city’s Balaklava and Khersones districts.

Maritime travel, including passenger ferries, was banned for several hours early Sunday, according to the city’s Moscow-backed transport officials, who announced the suspension on their Telegram channel.

The reports could not be independently verified by Reuters.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the attack on Sevastopol, a port in the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has been saying in recent months that destroying Russia’s military infrastructure helps Kyiv’s counteroffensive.