Moscow claims Russian Black Sea Fleet ship attacked by unmanned surface vehicles

A reconnaissance ship belonging to Russia's Black Sea Fleet was attacked by three unmanned surface vehicles, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed on May 24.

"Ukraine's Armed Forces made an unsuccessful attempt to attack the Black Sea Fleet ship 'Ivan Khurs' – which is performing tasks to ensure the safety of the operation of the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream gas pipelines in the exclusive economic zone of the Republic of Turkey – with three unmanned surface vehicles,"  Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said in a video.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the attack occurred around 5:30 a.m. local time. The ship was located 140 kilometers northeast of the Bosphorus Strait and it was not damaged, the ministry said.

Russian state media RIA Novosti said the Ivan Khurs is "designed to provide communications and fleet control" and "conduct intelligence and electronic warfare."

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it strengthened its naval security following the explosion of the Nord Stream Pipeline and blamed Ukraine's Armed Forces for the attempted attack against the Ivan Khurs. Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the situation.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 5 – Everything we know about Ukrainian attacks inside Russia

“This Week in Ukraine” is a video podcast hosted by Kyiv Independent’s reporter Anastasiia Lapatina. Every week, Anastasiia sits down with her newsroom colleagues to discuss Ukraine’s most pressing issues. Episode #5 is dedicated to Ukrainian attacks deep behind enemy lines – on Russian soil, and i…

Kyiv IndependentAnastasiia Lapatina