Russia destroys Ukrainian drones in Moscow and the Black Sea
Russia claimed Friday to have destroyed Ukrainian drones in Moscow and the Black Sea, two locations where such attacks have multiplied in recent weeks in the context of the Ukrainian counter-offensive and Moscow’s withdrawal from the grain agreement in mid-July. Follow the latest developments in the war in Ukraine hour by hour.
Russian air defense destroyed a drone in Moscow that caused no damage or casualties, said the mayor of the Russian capital on Friday. “Last night, while attempting to reach Moscow, the air defense forces destroyed a drone.
The drone’s wreckage fell in the Exhibition Center area and did not cause significant damage to the building,” said Sergei Sobyanin, who added that there were no victims according to initial reports.
3:06 AM: Moscow thwarted a Ukrainian attack against the Russian Black Sea fleet
Russia said it thwarted a Ukrainian attack on Thursday evening using a naval drone against its fleet in the Black Sea, where the number of clashes has increased since Moscow’s withdrawal from the grain agreement in mid-July.
On Thursday, “at 10:55 PM, the Ukrainian armed forces made an unsuccessful attempt to attack the unmanned boats of the Black Sea Fleet,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said on the Telegram social network.
The targeted ships, according to Moscow, “were performing navigation control tasks in the southwest part of the Black Sea, 237 km southwest of Sevastopol,” the headquarters of the local Russian fleet.
At the time of the retaliatory strike, “the unmanned enemy boat was destroyed by the gunfire of the ships of the Black Sea Fleet – the patrol ship ‘Pytlivyi’ and the patrol ship ‘Vassili Bykov,'” the ministry added. According to the same source, the drone did not hit its target, and “the (Russian) ships continue to perform their tasks.”
Highlights of August 17th:
The first cargo ship to depart from Ukraine after the end of the grain agreement arrived in Istanbul as planned in the evening, despite the Russian blockade, according to maritime traffic websites.
Ukraine announced on Thursday that it had received new German Iris-T anti-aircraft systems to protect its airspace, at a time when its southern and eastern regions are increasingly targeted by Russian long-range attacks.
Reuters
