Live blog: Russia destroys three Ukrainian naval drones

Wednesday, September 13, 2023

1700 GMT — Moscow said it had destroyed three Ukrainian drone boats in the Black Sea after a first Ukrainian attack in the morning against a shipyard in Russian-annexed Crimea.

The defence ministry said in a statement on Telegram that its Black Sea Fleet aviators had "detected and destroyed three unmanned boats of the Ukrainian army".

Ukraine and Russia have increased attacks in the Black Sea since Moscow pulled out of a key deal ensuring the safe navigation of cargo ships.

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia's defence ministry said that Ukrainian cruise missiles had struck a shipyard in the Crimean port of Sevastopol overnight.

Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, said that Ukraine used three maritime drones and ten cruise missiles in the attack, which it claimed damaged two ships undergoing repairs.

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1815 GMT — Russia-North Korea satellite cooperation 'troubling': US

The United States voiced alarm on new military cooperation between Russia and North Korea after the two countries' leaders met.

The cooperation announced during North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's visit to Vladivostok is "quite troubling and would potentially be in violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.

He noted US concerns that North Korean satellites, on which President Vladimir Putin promised cooperation, have been used to develop Pyongyang's ballistic missiles.

The United States "will not hesitate" to impose sanctions if appropriate, Miller said.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said separately: "Any arrangements that would improve North Korea's military capabilities would certainly be of concern."

1804 GMT — Fresh debris of Russian-style drones found in Romania: NATO

NATO member Romania found new fragments of a drone deemed similar to those used by the Russian army near its border with Ukraine on Wednesday, in the third such finding in a week, defence officials said.

Two helicopters from the Romanian Air Force were deployed with specialist teams to Nufaru and Victoria in the eastern county of Tulcea where the fragments were spread over an area of "several tens of metres," the Ministry of National Defence said in a statement.

It said in a separate statement that it has notified the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations about areas near the border that could be at risk of incidents as Russian forces attack Ukraine’s Danube River ports across the river from Romania.

1653 GMT — UN chief to meet Erdogan, Zelenskyy, Lavrov to revive grain deal

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he will meet Turkish Ukrainian and Russian leaders next week at the annual UN meeting in an effort to revive the Black Sea Grain deal.

''I am determined to do everything possible to re-establish the Black Sea Grain Initiative,'' Guterres told reporters.

Guterres did not say exactly when he would meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy or Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Russia suspended the grain deal in July because it said parts related to its demands have "not been implemented so far," referring to the removal of obstacles to fertiliser exports and the inclusion of state-owned Russian Agricultural Bank in the SWIFT international payment system.

The agreement was signed in Istanbul in July 2022 by Russia, Ukraine, Türkiye and the UN, creating a safe corridor through the Black Sea for exports from three Ukrainian ports since the war began in February of that year.

1630 GMT — Vessels damaged in Sevastopol likely could not be repaired: Kiev

A Ukrainian military intelligence agency official said that a large Russian landing ship and a submarine struck in an overnight attack on the Crimean port of Sevastopol were likely to have been damaged beyond repair.

"Those are significant damages. We can now say that with a high probability they are not subject to restoration," Andriy Yusov, the official, said in televised comments.

1220 GMT — Ukraine launches massive attack with cruise missiles on Sevastopol, Crimea: Kremlin

Ukraine launched a massive attack with 10 cruise missiles on a shipbuilding facility in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

According to a ministry statement, seven of 10 missiles were shot down by the Russian air defence systems, while three hit targets, injuring 24 people, damaging eight residential buildings and two vessels that were being repaired at the shipbuilding plant, and causing a massive fire.

Separately, three marine drones attacked a detachment of ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, destroying all of them, the ministry said.

Drone strikes inside Russia have risen dramatically in recent months, notably in Moscow, in Ukraine’s Crimea territory illegally annexed by Russia in 2014, and in Russian regions bordering Ukraine, with authorities accusing Ukraine of being behind them.

0538 GMT — Russian drones strike Ukraine's Izmail port — governor

Russian drones damaged the Danube river port of Izmail in Ukraine, causing a fire and civilian injuries, the regional governor said.

The Ukrainian military claimed 32 drones were downed during the attack.

Following the collapse of the deal allowing grain shipments from Black Sea ports, Russia has ramped up attacks on Ukraine's southern Odessa and Mykolaiv regions, home to ports and infrastructure vital for agriculture exports.

Russia "once again attacked the south of Odessa region", Odessa regional governor Oleg Kiper said on Telegram.

"Several groups of strike drones were directed at the Izmail district," he added.

"Damage to port and other civil infrastructure was recorded."

He said a fire broke out and civilians had been injured.

Izmail, on the border with NATO member Romania, has become a main export route for Ukrainian products following Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal in July.

0530 GMT — Ukraine shoots down 32 out of 44 drones Russia launched

Ukraine's air defence systems destroyed 32 out of 44 Iranian-made Shahed drones that Russia launched into Ukraine, Ukraine's Air Force said on the Telegram messaging app.

"The main target (of the attack) was the southern parts of the Odessa region - the region's port infrastructure," the Air Force said.

0515 GMT — Russia destroys drone over Tver region, no casualties

Air defence forces destroyed a drone over Russia's Tver region, RIA Novosti reported, citing local authorities.

There were no casualties, it said.

0431 GMT — Crimea's Sevastopol Shipyard under Ukrainian attack: Russia's defence ministry

The Sevastopol Shipyard on the Crimean Peninsula was on fire early and two ships were damaged after Ukraine launched 10 missiles and three speedboat attacks on the port, Russia's defence ministry said.

Seven missiles were downed by Russia's air defence systems and all three boats were destroyed by a patrol ship, the ministry said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

"As a result of being hit by enemy cruise missiles, two ships under repair were damaged," the ministry said.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-backed governor of Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea and a major Black Sea port, said on Telegram that at least 24 people were injured.

"All emergency services are working on the site, there is no danger to civilian objects in the city," Razvozhayev said.

The strategic shipyard on the peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014, builds and repairs ships and submarines of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. The fleet has launched numerous drone and missile attacks on Ukraine.

For our live updates from Tuesday (September 12), click here.