Russia accuses Ukraine of attacking Black Sea navy base and Crimea with drones

A heart-stopping video shows the moment a Ukrainian kamikaze drone packed with nearly half a ton of explosives crashed into the side of a Russian warship, badly damaging it in a stunning overnight attack on a key Black Sea naval base.

The dramatic PoV footage released by Ukrainian security services Friday depicts the unmanned sea drone believed to be flying toward the Olenegorsky Gornyak, stationed at the base in Novorossiysk, according to Kyiv’s intelligence sources.

At the moment of impact, the feed cuts out and the screen turns to black.

Additional unverified video shot after the attack shows the stricken ship sitting low in the water and listing heavily on its port side.

A Ukrainian intelligence source said the Olenegorsky Gornyak, which was manned by about 100 Russian servicemen, had suffered a serious breach that rendered it unfit for combat duty in the aftermath of a joint operation by the Ukrainian Navy and SBU intelligence service.

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There was no immediate word on casualties aboard the warship.

Separately, a source with knowledge of the port’s operations said a large Russian naval vessel, which they did not name, had to be towed ashore because it could not move under its own power after being damaged.

Russian social media users had reported hearing gunfire and the sound of explosions near Novorossiysk early Friday morning.

The nighttime attack with a drone carrying 992lbs of TNT marked the first time a commercial Russian port has been targeted in the 18-month war.

Contrary to video evidence, witness accounts and reporting on Telegram channels, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed in a statement that the Ukrainian attack had been fended off. It made no mention of any damage.

“Tonight, the armed forces of Ukraine attempted to attack the Novorossiysk naval base with two unmanned sea boats,” the Ministry said in a brief statement. “In the course of repelling the attack, the unmanned boats were visually detected and destroyed by fire from the standard weapons of the Russian ships guarding the outer waters of the naval base.”

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Andrei Kravchenko, a Novorossiysk city official, said on Telegram that the Olenegorsky Gornyak was one of two ships that had “instantly reacted” to repel the Ukrainian attack “and avoid consequences.”

The civilian port at Novorossiysk, which handles 2% of the world’s oil supply and also exports grain, temporarily banned all ship movement before resuming normal operations, according to the Caspian Pipeline Consortium which operates an oil terminal there.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense claimed it had also repelled another attack by Ukraine on the annexed Crimean Peninsula across the water from Novorossiysk.

The Ministry said air defense systems shot down 10 drones and it had electronically jammed another three. It said there were no injuries or damage.

With Post wires