Moscow, May 30, (dpa/GNA) – Russia’s armed forces have again repelled US missiles, drones and explosive boats sent by Ukrainian forces in the Black and Azov Seas, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said on Thursday.

The ministry said that the air-defence system had shot down eight US ATACMS missiles in the Sea of Azov during the night.

According to the authorities, two ferries were damaged in the Kerch Strait on the east of the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014 in violation of international law.

The Crimean city of Kerch, where the bridge from Russia also connects to the peninsula, is a recurring target of Ukrainian attacks. Nobody was injured, the authorities said. A car ferry and a railway ferry were damaged and were temporarily out of operation, they said.

Eight drones and two unmanned explosive ships were destroyed in the Black Sea, according to the ministry’s statement. The information could not be independently verified.

In Kiev, the online newspaper Ukrainska Pravda cited Ukrainian military intelligence as saying that two Russian boats had been hit by explosive ships on the Black Sea side of Crimea.

Ukraine has repeatedly announced its intention to liberate the Crimean peninsula from Russian occupation.

Ukraine has been using powerful weapons supplied by the West in its attacks against Russian troops which invaded the country in February 2022.

In future, with the permission of its Western allies, Kiev also wants to attack targets in Russia proper, which so far Kiev has mainly attacked with its own drones and missiles.

Russia continued its airstrikes against Ukraine. The air force in Kiev reported that Russia had again attacked military bases and important infrastructure in Ukraine overnight with missiles and drones. All 32 drones and 7 cruise missiles were shot down, it said.GNA