Russia Says Repelled Drone Attack on Black Sea Patrol Boats

Russia said on Tuesday that it has repelled an overnight Ukrainian drone attack targeting its patrol boats in the Black Sea.

“During the night, Ukrainian armed forces tried without success to attack with three drones the ‘Sergei Kotov’ and ‘Vasily Bykov,’ patrol boats of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea,” the defense ministry said in a statement.

“The three naval enemy drones were destroyed,” it said, adding that the boats were attacked 340 kilometers (210 miles) southwest of Sevastopol, the base of Russia’s Black Sea fleet on the annexed Crimea peninsula.

Last week, Russia said it had repelled another drone attack on the ‘Sergei Kotov’ patrol boat.

Hostilities around the Black Sea have escalated after Russia pulled out of an agreement that had allowed safe export of Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.