Russia says fuel tanker in Kerch Strait hit in Ukraine's drone attack

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – A fuel tanker was hit in the Kerch Strait by a Ukrainian drone, Russian authorities said on Saturday.

The tanker "Sig" got a breach in the area of the engine room at the waterline from the starboard side as a result of an attack by a marine drone, the Russian Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport (Rosmorrechflot) said in a statement on Telegram.

There are no casualties or fuel spills, the ship is afloat, and the support vessels were sent to help with the repair works, the statement added.

The number of drone attacks on Russian territory has dramatically increased in recent months, with only unmanned aerial vehicles used initially, but in recent weeks, the use of unmanned boats have also become widespread.

Although Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for them, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday said attacks on Russian territory are an "inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”