The Russian reconnaissance ship "Ivan Churs" (seen here in April 2021 in the port of the city of Port Sudan) was the target of an attack in the Ukraine war. © IBRAHIM ISHAQ/afp
Ahead of the expected counteroffensive, Kiev is increasingly relying on isolated pinpricks against Russia. Now a Russian warship has to defend itself against an attack.
Moscow - The targeted pinpricks against Russia are currently on the rise again. According to military information from Moscow, a Russian warship was attacked by three unmanned speedboats in the southern Black Sea on Wednesday (24 May). Russia's Defense Ministry blamed Ukraine for the attack. The attack could be another harbinger of the long-awaited Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Ukraine war.
The vessels, also called drone ships, had been destroyed, said a spokesman, according to the news agencies Itar-Tass and Interfax. The attacked reconnaissance ship "Ivan Churs" is therefore in Turkish waters to secure natural gas pipelines. "The Ukrainian Armed Forces unsuccessfully tried to attack the Black Sea Fleet's ship 'Ivan Churs'," the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram.
Attack on Russian warship in the Black Sea
The attack occurred early Wednesday morning "140 kilometers northeast of the Bosphorus," when the Russian ship was "performing tasks for the safe operation of the Turkish Stream and Blue Stream gas pipelines." Turkey did not initially comment on the incident.
Since the beginning of the Russian offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, there have already been several incidents involving Russian warships or aircraft in the Black Sea. In March, for example, a US military drone crashed into the Black Sea after an incident involving a Russian fighter jet, exacerbating diplomatic tensions between Washington and Moscow. Back in April 2022, the missile cruiser "Moskva", the heart of the Black Sea Fleet, sank. Russia spoke of an "explosion on board". Ukraine declared that it had sunk the warship by rocket fire.
Agreement regulates export of grain ships through the Black Sea
The incidents in the Black Sea are of great importance against the backdrop of the grain deal between Russia and Ukraine. The agreement, brokered by the United Nations and Turkey, regulates the safe export of grain ships from Ukrainian ports through the Black Sea to Asia and Africa. The grain agreement was extended for another two months on 17 May. Recently, however, exports have fallen sharply. (cs/afp)
