The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that one of its fighter jets destroyed a Ukrainian vessel in the Black Sea.
“Tonight, the crew of a Su-30SM [fighter jet] belonging to the Naval Aviation of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed a reconnaissance boat of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the area of Russian gas production facilities in the Black Sea,” the Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Telegram on August 22, 2023.
The ministry did not specify what kind of boat had been destroyed, or where exactly the incident had taken place. TASS news agency reported that the vessel was unmanned.
Following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has claimed the majority of the northern Black Sea deep shelf as part of its exclusive economic zone and seized several Ukrainian offshore platforms.
Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, energy infrastructure, including gas production facilities and pipelines, has been caught in the crosshairs, posing not only economic risks but also environmental hazards.
In June 2022, Ukraine simultaneously targeted three gas production plants off the Crimea peninsula known as the Boyko towers, which the Odesa military administration said Russia was using as air defense and radar platforms.
Ukrainian drones shot down for fifth consecutive day in Moscow
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced having shot down Ukrainian drones early on August 22, 2023.
“An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks by unmanned aerial vehicles was thwarted tonight,” the ministry said on Telegram. “Two UAVs were detected and destroyed by air defense systems over the territory of the Moscow Region. There were no casualties as a result of the suppressed terrorist attacks.”
One UAV was shot down in the Krasnogorsk area, located 20 kilometers northwest of the Kremlin, and a second in the Chastsy area, 50 kilometers southwest of central Moscow, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
Consequently, all international airports in Moscow, namely Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Vnukovo, were closed to arrivals and departures.
“Nine passenger flights were rerouted to alternative airports,” Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said in a statement. The restrictions were eventually lifted in the morning.
The incident marks the fifth consecutive day of drone attacks being reported in the Moscow region.