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Ukraine may have launched its biggest drone attack ever, according to the Kyiv Independent.
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Russia shot down a total of 102 aerial and six naval drones overnight, it said.
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Two of its main ports, Sevastopol and Novorossiysk, were affected, according to reports.
Ukraine appears to have launched its biggest drone attack ever, with reports of explosions at two major Russian ports.
In a telegram publishThe Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 51 drones over Crimea, 44 drones over the Krasnodar region and six drones over the Kursk region on Thursday night.
It also said its naval aviation and Black Sea Fleet patrol boats destroyed six unmanned surface ships, or USVs, in the Black Sea.
This would equate to a total of 102 aerial and six naval drones shot down in just one night and, if true, would be Ukraine’s largest drone strike since the full-scale invasion of Russia began in February 2022, according to the Independent from Kyiv.
Business Insider was unable to independently verify these numbers.
Russian independent media outlet Astra, citing its own sources and images, reported Drones hit at least two oil depots and two terminals in the port city of Novorossiysk and surrounding villages on Thursday night.
Residents of Novorossiysk told the channel that more than 35 explosions occurred in the city, causing power outages. The agency shared several videos of what appeared to be the explosions.
The outlet also shared a Photograph of a burning refinery in Tuapse, east of Novorossiysk.
Veniamin Kondratyev, the regional governor, he said Russian air defense forces shot down more than 10 drones over Novorossiysk on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, Russian forces shot down dozens of drones and more than five maritime drones in the port of Sevastopol last night, with drone debris hitting the city’s substation and causing power cuts, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the Russian-installed regional governor, said in a statement. a Telegram. publish.
A video shared by Astra appears to show explosions in Sevastopol. BI was unable to independently verify the images contained in the reports.
The Security Service of Ukraine SBU and the Ukrainian intelligence agency GUR launched a joint operation to attack Russian military and logistics facilities in Novorossiysk and occupied Sevastopol, the Associated Press reported. reportedciting an unnamed Ukrainian intelligence official.
Ukraine has increased attacks about Russian warships in occupied Crimea, inflicting significant losses over the Russian Black Sea Fleet and forcing it to relocate some maritime activities to Novorossiysk.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, head of the United Kingdom Armed Forces, he said in February that 25% of Russian ships in the Black Sea had been sunk or damaged.
The fleet was “functionally inactive” after Ukraine claimed it had shocked two of its ships in March, the UK Ministry of Defense he said at the time.
April satellite images shared The UK Ministry of Defense showed that Russia has improved the defenses of its Black Sea Fleet naval base in Novorossiysk, confirming that the majority of its ships and submarines have been relocated further east.
Ukraine’s GUR did not immediately respond to a BI request for comment.
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