'Unidentified floating objects' behind attack on Russian warship

The Russian warship is being towed back to the port of Novorossiysk on the Russian mainland

The strike was reportedly jointly coordinated between the Ukrainian security service and the military -Navy.

Ukraine maintained its position of refusing to officially comment on strikes deep behind enemy lines in Crimea or on the Russian mainland.

But Sergei Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odessa Military Administration, said: “As a result of a drone attack in Novorossiysk Bay, the Olenegorsky Gornyak large landing ship was damaged.”

Moscow’s claim of no damage and no casualties was dismissed by Russian military bloggers, who said the ship’s crew of 100 did not expect the attack , since it was believed that the ship was beyond the reach of Ukrainian strikes.

The Novorossiysk is used by the ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, whose headquarters is usually based in the port of Sevastopol in Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Moscow in 2014.

The 112.5-meter Olenegorsky Gornyak is one of three Russian landing ships used to transport heavy cargo and military equipment that have been in the Black Sea since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The Olenegorsky Gornyak is one of three Russian landing ships that have been in the Black Sea since Russia invaded Ukraine. due to the increased threat of Ukrainian long-range attacks.

A Ukrainian analyst said that a Ukrainian naval drone could have been launched from Kiev-controlled territory, possibly more than 400 miles from Novorossiysk.

< p>The drone used in the attack was reminiscent of the Magura V5 that Ukraine had previously used to strike Russian warships.

Manufacturers say that a five-meter boat, performing combat and reconnaissance missions, can travel about 50 miles. per hour and carries a payload of up to 320 kg.

The drone has a range of about 500 miles — about the same distance between the Ukrainian Black Sea port of Odessa and the Russian port of Novorossiysk.

According to a BBC study, Ukraine has carried out at least 10 maritime drone attacks on Russian warships stationed in Novorossiysk and Sevastopol.

Novorossiysk is Russia's main Black Sea export port for oil, shipping some 600,000 barrels. per day.

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium said it had imposed a «temporary ban» on shipping in and out of the port following the strike.

The Russian port was hit in a separate attack

During a separate pre-dawn attack, Russian naval port in Feodosiya, Crimea, was hit by aerial drones.

The Russian Ministry of Defense said it shot down 10 UAVs and three were destroyed by electronic warfare.

Natalya Gumenyuk, spokeswoman for the Southern Military Command of Ukraine, said that the Russian Black Sea Fleet is using a large oil storage facility. in the port, and «we should continue to expect explosions there.»

The attacks in the Black Sea region came amid escalating tensions in the region after Russia's withdrawal from an international agreement that allowed Kiev to export millions of tons of grain.

According to the plan, the Russian sabotage group will carry out a «provocation at an oil refinery before Moscow blames Kiev for the attack.

It has also been reported that Russia has requested the purchase of ammunition from North Korea.

The White House said that during a recent visit, the defense minister Russia's Sergei Shoigu asked the hermit country to increase exports.