Explosions near Crimean Bridge
Drones attack Russian tankers
8/5/2023 1:26 am
Several explosions can be heard in the vicinity of the Crimean Bridge during the night. Apparently, a Russian tanker was attacked with drones in the Kerch Strait. There is said to be water in the engine room and the ship is unable to manoeuvre.
A Russian tanker was damaged in an attack in the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, overnight. The tanker’s engine room was damaged, but the ship’s crew of eleven is safe, the Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing the coordination center for sea rescue in Novorossiysk. Fuel did not run out. According to Russian military bloggers, both sea drones and aerial drones were said to have been used in the attack. The information could not be independently verified.
According to Russian and Ukrainian media, several explosions could be heard and seen near the Crimean Bridge. Local residents believed it was an explosion near the Yakovenkovo settlement near the bridge, Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the Russian occupation authorities in southern Ukraine’s Zaporizhia region, wrote on Telegram. Ukrainian media reported three explosions near the bridge connecting the Moscow-held Black Sea peninsula of Crimea and mainland Russia. Accordingly, the bridge was completely darkened and closed to traffic for three hours.
A representative of the Russian occupation administration in Crimea spoke on Telegram of an “active dangerous situation”. Russian state media reported that a rescue team had moved towards a tanker. According to the Moscow Times, the ship hit was the tanker SIG, which the US imposed sanctions on for supplying fuel to Russian forces in Syria.
Ukraine warned of attacks
A suspected Russian radio message to ships in the Kerch Strait is circulating online. It calls on all ships to be more vigilant in the event of an attack by air and sea drones. in one another alleged radio conversation published online of the hit tanker, one of the crew members explains that the engine room is flooded and the ship is said to be immobilized. The information could not be checked independently.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has previously warned that from July 21, 2023, all ships calling at Black Sea ports of the Russian Federation and Ukrainian ports temporarily occupied by Russia will be considered military targets by Ukraine.
Ukraine has repeatedly attacked Russian naval ships and also the bridge to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula in the Black Sea. The last drone attack on the 19-kilometer connection between Crimea and mainland Russia took place about two weeks ago.