Russia claims Ukraine attempted attack on Black Sea patrol ship

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia on Tuesday claimed that Ukraine used two unmanned boats to unsuccessfully try to attack a patrol ship assigned to the country’s fleet in the Black Sea.

“In the course of repelling the attack, both remote-controlled enemy boats were destroyed by the Russian ship's standard armament at a distance of 1,000 and 800 meters (3,281 feet and 2,625 feet). There were no casualties,” said a Russian Defense Ministry statement.

The statement said the Russian ship Sergey Kotov is controlling navigation in the southwestern part of the Black Sea just 370 kilometers (230 miles) off the city of Sevastopol in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

“The Sergey Kotov ship of the Black Sea Fleet continues to fulfill its tasks,” the statement concluded.

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