Ukraine seems to have launched its largest drone assault ever, with studies of explosions at two main Russian ports.
In a Telegram put up, Russia’s Protection Ministry mentioned its air defenses intercepted 51 drones over Crimea, 44 drones over the Krasnodar area, and 6 drones over the Kursk area on Thursday night time.
It additionally mentioned its naval aviation and Black Sea Fleet patrol boats destroyed six uncrewed floor vessels, or USVs, within the Black Sea.
This may quantity to a complete of 102 aerial and 6 naval drones shot down in only one night time, and if true, could be Ukraine’s largest drone assault for the reason that begin of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, in keeping with the Kyiv Impartial.
Enterprise Insider could not independently confirm these numbers.
The unbiased Russian media outlet Astra, citing its personal sources and photographs, reported drones hit not less than two oil depots and two terminals within the port metropolis of Novorossiysk and neighboring villages on Thursday night time.
Novorossiysk residents informed the outlet that greater than 35 explosions occurred within the metropolis, inflicting energy outages. The outlet shared a number of movies of what seemed to be the blasts.
The outlet additionally shared a photograph of a refinery on fireplace in Tuapse, east of Novorossiysk.
Veniamin Kondratyev, the regional governor, mentioned Russian air protection forces shot down greater than 10 drones over Novorossiysk on Thursday night time.
In the meantime, Russian forces shot down dozens of drones and greater than 5 sea drones within the port of Sevastopol final night time, with drone particles hitting the town’s substation and inflicting energy outages, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-installed regional governor, mentioned in a Telegram put up.
A video shared by Astra seems to point out blasts in Sevastopol. BI couldn’t independently confirm the footage within the studies.
The Safety Service of Ukraine SBU and Ukraine’s intelligence company GUR launched a joint operation to strike Russian army and logistics services in Novorossiysk and occupied Sevastopol, the Related Press reported, citing an unnamed Ukrainian intelligence official.
Ukraine has ramped up assaults on Russian warships in occupied Crimea, inflicting vital losses on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet and forcing it to relocate some maritime actions to Novorossiysk.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the top of the UK Armed Forces, mentioned in February that 25% of Russia’s Black Sea boats had been sunk or broken.
The fleet was “functionally inactive” after Ukraine claimed to have struck two of its ships in March, the UK’s Ministry of Defence mentioned on the time.
Satellite tv for pc photographs from April shared by the UK’s MoD confirmed Russia upgrading the defenses of its Black Sea Fleet naval base in Novorossiysk, confirming that almost all of its ships and submarines have been relocated additional eastwards.
Ukraine’s GUR didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark by BI.
