Ukraine carried out a drone strike overnight on a Russian tanker in the Kerch Strait, a day after one of Moscow\u2019s ships was hit in the Black Sea, according to Ukrainian security. It was the latest attack around the Black Sea since Moscow exited a deal last month that had protected Ukrainian grain exports despite the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. \u201cOvernight the (Ukrainian Security Service) SBU blew up the \u2018SIG\u2019, a large oil tanker of the Russian Federation that was transporting fuel for Russian troops,\u201d the Ukrainian source said. The \u201csuccessful special operation\u201d, which involved a naval drone and explosives, was carried out jointly with the navy on Ukrainian territorial waters, the source said, adding that the ship was \u201cwell-loaded with fuel, so the \u2018fireworks\u2019 could be seen from afar\u201d. In a video obtained by\u00a0an international news agency purporting to show the attack, a vessel is seen approaching a large ship before the connection cuts off. The Russian tanker SIG was hit around 11:20 pm (2020 GMT) Friday south of the Kerch Strait, Russia\u2019s Federal Agency for Sea and Inland Water Transport said. The oil and chemical tanker is under US sanctions for supplying jet fuel to Russian forces in Syria supporting President Bashar al-Assad. The SIG suffered a hole at the waterline in the area of the engine room, \u201cpresumably as a result of an attack by a marine drone\u201d, the agency said on Telegram. \u201cThe ship is afloat.\u201d \u2018Fireworks\u2019 An oil boom had been placed around it vessel and preparations were under way to patch the damage, it said. Russia\u2019s state news agency said there were no casualties, citing the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre of Novorossiysk. Traffic on a key bridge across the Kerch Strait linking the Moscow-annexed Crimean peninsula to Russia\u2019s mainland was halted for around three hours and resumed early Saturday, according to the Russian highways information centre\u2019s Telegram channel. Crimea has been disrupted by several strikes throughout the war, but it has seen more frequent attacks in recent weeks. Ukrainian drone strikes on Crimea in July blew up an ammunition depot and damaged the strategic bridge across the Kerch Strait. Attacks have intensified on the Black Sea overall since Russia pulled out of an agreement protecting exports via the shipping hub during the conflict between the two countries. \u2018Put to an end\u2019 On Friday Ukraine said it carried out a seaborne-drone strike on the Olenegorsky Gornyak, a Russian warship, at the Novorossiysk naval base in southern Russia. \u201cThe goal was to show that Ukraine can attack any Russian warship in that zone,\u201d according to security source. \u201cThe presence of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea\u2026 will be put to an end,\u201d Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said after the Friday attack. Russia said it had repelled an attempted attack on the naval base by the Ukrainian armed forces \u201cwith the use of two unmanned sea boats\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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