Russia claims fighter jet destroyed Ukrainian reconnaissance boat in Black Sea

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia claimed early Tuesday that one of its fighter jets destroyed a Ukrainian reconnaissance boat near its natural gas facilities in the Black Sea.

“Tonight, the crew of a 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,” said a statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.

The statement gave no further details.

Earlier, Russia also claimed that a drone attack by Ukraine in the country’s Bryansk and Moscow region was foiled.

It claimed that two drones were “detected by air defense systems and suppressed by electronic warfare systems” in both regions, adding that there are no casualties as a result of the attacks.

Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on claims, and independent verification of Russia's claim is difficult due to the ongoing war.

Drone strikes inside Russia have dramatically increased in recent months, notably in Moscow and the country's regions bordering Ukraine, with authorities accusing Ukraine of being behind them.

Although Kyiv has not claimed responsibility, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in late July that the attacks on Russian territory are an “inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”