In the early hours of Wednesday, access to the beaches of Novorossiysk, Russia’s largest Black Sea port, will be limited, according to the city’s Mayor Andrei Kravchenko. The announcement followed reports of an attempted sea drone attack, intercepted by defence forces.
Kravchenko relayed through the Telegram application that the bay’s waters would be undergoing inspection until 9am on 3rd of July. Citizens were urged to avoid the beach areas, waterfront promenades and other leisure spots by the water during the operation.
According to the Russian defence ministry, their forces successfully eliminated two sea drones that were headed in the direction of Novorossiysk. It’s no secret that Russia frequently alleges Ukraine of launching incursions on its port cities along the Black Sea shoreline and the Crimean Peninsula, currently annexed by Moscow. However, the Russian authorities often withhold comprehensive details about the extent of the damage inflicted by these purported Ukrainian assaults.
The port at Novorossiysk is of crucial importance as a major outlet for Russia’s crude oil and petroleum product exports as well as transit in the south of the country. In addition to oil from Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, the port also deals with commodities such as grain, coal, mineral fertilisers, timber, containers, food stuff, and chemical products.
It was also disclosed by the Russian defence ministry that their air defence mechanisms annihilated 10 air drones allegedly dispatched by Ukraine towards the Russian territory, one of which was reportedly over the Moscow region.
These reports have not been independently confirmed by Reuters, and there has been no immediate response from Ukraine.
Kyiv has defended any attacks on Russia’s military, transport and energy facilities as retaliation for Moscow’s incessant incursions on Ukrainian territory since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine in 2022. This has been reported by Reuters.
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