MOSCOW (AFP): Russia’s defence ministry said early Tuesday one of its Sukhoi jets had “destroyed” a Ukrainian “reconnaissance boat” in the Black Sea.
“Tonight, the crew of the Su-30cm naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed a reconnaissance boat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of Russian gas production facilities in the Black Sea,” the ministry said on Telegram.
The statement did not give details on what kind of boat had been destroyed, or where exactly the incident had taken place.
Russian officials have said they have thwarted a string of Ukrainian marine drone attacks on its warships in the Black Sea.
On Thursday evening, ships of the Russian fleet were targeted by a Ukrainian naval drone attack, according to Moscow’s defence ministry.
Attacks from both sides have escalated in the Black Sea since Russia pulled out of a deal that had allowed safe export of Ukrainian grain through the shipping hub.
Russia downs drones
Russian air defences downed two attack drones near Moscow, the city’s mayor said on Tuesday, in the fifth consecutive night of strikes on the capital region.
Moscow and Kyiv have reported regular drone incursions during the conflict, with strikes on Russian territory becoming increasingly regular.
“Air defence shot down two attack drones. One in the Krasnogorsk area, the other in the Chastsy area,” said Sergei Sobyanin on Telegram, adding that emergency services were responding.
He did not give details on damage or casualties.
Russia’s defence ministry reported two Ukrainian drones had been downed over the Moscow region, adding there had been no casualties.
Unverified video posted on social media purporting to show the aftermath of a strike in Krasnogorsk showed dozens of people gathered in a street lined by high-rise buildings.
Video published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed debris littering the ground in Krasnogorsk, including what its correspondent said were fragments of a drone.
The facade and windows of a 25-storey building were damaged as well as a number of cars parked nearby, they said.
The area had been cordoned off.
Air traffic at Moscow’s Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports had been briefly halted, the TASS news agency earlier quoted an aviation service source as saying.
Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo later resumed receiving flights, TASS said.
– Moscow targeted –
The Moscow region has been the target of drone strikes as Ukraine pushes on with its grinding counteroffensive.
Two drone attacks were repelled over Moscow’s financial district, each causing minor damage to the facades of high-rise buildings.
In May, drones were shot down near the Kremlin.
Two Ukrainian drones were also downed over the Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border early Tuesday, Moscow’s defence ministry said on Telegram, adding there were no casualties.
Late Monday Moscow’s defence ministry said its forces downed two Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea 40 kilometres northwest of the Crimean peninsula.
Russian teenagers will learn how to operate and counter military drones in the upcoming school year, according to a curriculum published Monday by the education ministry.
Moscow announced last November it was re-introducing Soviet-style military training for children from 2023, as it presses ahead with its nearly 18-month offensive in Ukraine.
The drone course, which will be offered to pupils aged 15 to 17, comes as Russian territory is targeted by almost daily Ukrainian drone attacks and as their use becomes pivotal in the conflict.
