Russia accuses UK of involvement in Crimea’s drone strike attempt

Russia also claimed that British Navy representatives were involved in the planning and execution of the September 26 attack in the Baltic Sea.

Image Credit: Reuters

New Delhi: Russia has accused Britain of "involvement" in a botched drone strike in Crimea. According to Russia's Defense Ministry, "specialists" from the United Kingdom helped with "training" and "supervision" for Ukraine's failed attack. "The Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack against the ships of the Black Sea Fleet and civilian ships that were on the outer and inner roads of the Sevastopol base. The attack involved nine unmanned aerial vehicles and seven autonomous maritime drones," According to a statement issued by Russia's Defense Ministry. "The preparation of this terrorist act and the training of military personnel of 73rd Marine Special Operations Centre were carried out under the supervision of British specialists," it said. Britain has yet to respond to the allegations.

Russia also claimed that representatives of the British Navy were involved in the planning and execution of the September 26 attack in the Baltic Sea to blow up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines. The fleet's headquarters and a logistical hub for operations in Ukraine are located in Moscow-annexed Crimea, which has been targeted several times in recent months.

 The Russian army claimed to have "destroyed" nine aerial drones and seven maritime drones in an early Saturday attack on the port. The Russian military said the ships aimed at their Crimean base were part of a UN-brokered agreement to allow Ukrainian grain exports. According to an article in NDTV. Russia recently criticised the agreement, claiming that Western sanctions had hurt its own grain exports. According to AFP, Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Sevastopol governor appointed by Moscow, said Saturday's drone attack was the "most massive" the peninsula had ever seen.

Attacks on Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014, have increased in recent weeks as Kyiv launches a counter-offensive in the south to retake territory held by Moscow for months. Moscow-installed authorities in Kherson, just north of Crimea, have vowed to fortify the city in preparation for an impending assault. In early October, a blast blamed on Ukraine damaged Moscow's bridge connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland, which Putin personally inaugurated in 2018. A drone attacked the Russian fleet stationed in the port in August.

(With agencies inputs)