Russia hits Ukrainian vessel, killing 2 crew members, injuring others, Navy says
Editor's note: This story was updated to include new comments from a Navy spokesperson on Aug. 29.
The death toll among the crew following a Russian attack on a Ukrainian Navy vessel has increased to two, spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on national television on Aug. 29.
Several sailors are missing or injured, and a search and rescue operation is underway.
"But the majority of the crew has been safe since yesterday," Pletenchuk said. Other details of the attack, including the time and location, have not yet been disclosed.
Earlier on Aug. 28, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that a Russian naval drone hit the Ukrainian medium reconnaissance ship Simferopol near the mouth of the Danube River, alleging that the ship had sunk.
When asked about the sinking, Pletenchuk said that he "can't confirm this information."
Simferopol is a Ukrainian Navy reconnaissance ship of the Laguna-class. It was launched in 2019 and officially joined the fleet two years later.
The vessel is designed for radio, electronic, radar, and optical reconnaissance, and was armed with a 30 mm AK-306 artillery system.
While Ukraine has inflicted heavy losses on Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, reports of Ukrainian naval losses are extremely rare.
Throughout the full-scale war, Russia has targeted multiple civilian vessels in the Black Sea, including foreign ones.
Dmytro Basmat
