Russian navy ‘repels’ drone attack on Crimea’s Sevastopol

Al Jazeera:

The Russian navy has “repelled” a drone attack in the bay of Sevastopol, home to Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet in Moscow-annexed Crimea, according to a statement by a Russian-installed governor, as a battle rages for the control of southeastern Ukrainian cities Kherson and Bakhmut.

“Today, starting at 04:30am for several hours, various air defence systems in Sevastopol repelled drone attacks,” Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram early on Saturday. “All UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) have been shot down,” he added.

“Nothing has been hit in the city. We remain calm. The situation is under control.”

The attack in Sevastopol – the largest city in the Crimean peninsula, comes as Ukrainian forces have been engaged in a fierce battle with Russian forces in Kherson province, which serves as the gateway to Crimea. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

Since launching its counteroffensive late last month, Ukrainian forces have recaptured large territories from Russian forces, including Kharkiv, forcing Russians on the backfoot. The battlefield reversals prompted Russian President Vladimir Putin to call for partial mobilisation of its military and reshuffle its military leadership.

Last month a key bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia was partially damaged in a blast for which Moscow blamed Ukraine. Kyiv has denied its role in the attack that has attracted Russian retribution.