KYIV, Ukraine—According to Russian officials and footage circulating on social media, Ukrainian drones attacked a Russian ship in the Black Sea near Crimea.
The late-night raid was the second naval attack utilizing drones in a single day, following Ukraine's earlier Friday strike on a Russian port.
Moscow withdrew from a crucial export deal three weeks ago, allowing Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain over the Black Sea for sale on global markets.
“The Sig tanker … suffered a hole in the engine room near the waterline on the starboard side, presumably as a result of a sea drone attack,” Russia’s Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport wrote on Telegram, adding that there were no casualties among the 11 crew members.
Several members of the ship's crew were injured as a result of shattered glass, according to Vladimir Rogov, a Kremlin-installed official in Ukraine's partly controlled southern Zaporizhzhia region.
Without naming Ukraine, Ukraine's Security Service chief Vasyl Malyuk said that "such special operations are conducted in Ukraine's territorial waters and are completely legal," and that any such explosions are "an absolutely logical and effective step with regard to the enemy."
The incident temporarily halted traffic on the Kerch Bridge as well as ferry service.
According to Russia's Tass news agency, tugboats were dispatched to assist the tanker, which is sanctioned by the US for supplying jet fuel to Russian soldiers fighting in Syria.
The previous strike on Novorossiysk disrupted marine traffic for a few hours, marking the first time a commercial Russian port has been targeted in the almost 18-month-long conflict. The port is important for exports since it features a naval station, shipbuilding yards, and an oil terminal. It is located around 110 kilometers (60 miles) east of Crimea.
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of Russia's Security Council, stated on Telegram on Saturday that Russia will expand its strikes on Ukrainian ports in reaction to Kyiv's attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea:
“Apparently, the strikes on Odesa, Izmail, and other places were not enough for them,” he wrote.
In other news, Russia's Defense Ministry announced Saturday that it has conquered a hamlet in Ukraine's easternmost Luhansk area, the majority of which is under Russian control. "The settlement of Novoselivske was liberated in the Kupiansk area," the ministry announced on Telegram.
In other news, a two-day conference in Saudi Arabia to find a peaceful solution to the war has begun.
Senior officials from approximately 40 nations, excluding Russia, will attempt to reach an agreement on essential principles for ending the conflict.
Andriy Yermak, leading Ukrainian presidential assistant, talked of the negotiations on Friday night in a television appearance released on his Telegram account: "I expect that the conversation will be difficult, but behind us is truth, behind us is goodness," he added.
Commenting on the Saudi talks, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian state media that making decisions on the conflict without Moscow's participation was "absurd," but delegates had "full scope for creativity" to discuss the issue.
