Russia claims Ukrainian drones destroyed in Crimea, Black Sea
The Hindu
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Russia said it destroyed nearly two dozen Ukrainian drones trying to hit Moscow-annexed Crimea, patrol ships in the Black Sea and border regions on Thursday.
Crimea has been targeted by Ukraine throughout Russia's offensive but attacks there have recently intensified as Kyiv vows to recapture the Black Sea peninsula.
"At about 5.00 a.m. (0200 GMT), the Ukrainian armed forces attempted to attack the Black Sea Fleet patrol ship Sergey Kotov in the Black Sea with five unmanned sea boats," Russia's defence ministry said.
"While repelling the attack, five unmanned enemy boats were destroyed by fire from the ship's standard weapons," it added in a statement.
Moscow previously reported attempted attacks on the Sergey Kotov in July and in August.
At about 5.30 a.m. on Thursday, "air defence systems on duty destroyed 11 unmanned aerial vehicles" over the Crimean peninsula, the ministry said.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
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