Kiev: Naval drone damages Russian ship in Novorossiysk

Kiev, Aug. 4, (dpa/GNA) - A Ukrainian naval drone attack on the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk has left a landing ship severely damaged, according to Kiev. 

A video of the operation showed a naval drone belonging to Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service, loaded with 450 kilograms of explosives, attacking a Russian ship, several Ukrainian media outlets quoted an informant as saying on Friday. 

The ship reportedly had a crew of about 100. 

The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed a drone attack in Novorossiysk, but claimed it had been repelled. 

The video released on Twitter shows the attack from the drone’s perspective, up until it collides with the ship. 

It was reportedly a joint operation between the SBU and Ukrainian Navy, media in Kiev further reported. 

Later images showed the landing ship Olenegorski Gornyak (Olenegorsk Miner), commissioned in 1976, lying tilted in Novorossiysk Bay. Moscow said the ship had not been damaged. 

GNA