Coordinated maritime drone attacks target Novorossiysk and Sevastopol
Novorossiysk was subjected to an assault by unmanned vessels on the morning of Thursday, July 18, reported the city's mayor, Andrey Kravchenko. Early in the morning, the mayor wrote on his Telegram channel that due to the attack, a siren was sounding in Novorossiysk, urging residents near the shoreline to take cover in rooms where the windows do not face the sea.
At 7:24 AM Moscow time, Kravchenko announced that the unmanned vessel attack signal had been cancelled and that residents of Novorossiysk were no longer under threat. No details regarding the consequences of the attack have been provided.
An unmanned maritime drone also attempted an attack on the Russian-annexed city of Sevastopol in the morning. "The loud noises heard in the city were our military repelling an attack by an unmanned surface drone. The drone was destroyed," stated the Russian-appointed "mayor" Mikhail Razvozhayev, without providing further details.
Meanwhile, the Telegram channel "the Crimea Wind," citing subscribers, reported explosions and gunfire near the Kazachya Bay area in Sevastopol. The channel posted a video allegedly showing Russian military personnel repelling the maritime drone attack. According to "the Crimea Wind," explosions were also heard near the settlements of Mirny and Novoozyornoye.
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that during the night, on-duty firepower assets in the Black Sea waters destroyed ten Ukrainian unmanned vessels heading toward the Crimean Peninsula. Additionally, the ministry stated that on-duty air defence systems destroyed and intercepted 33 aerial drones over Crimea.
The Russian MoD further added that air defence systems shot down two UAVs over the Bryansk region during the night. Regional Governor Alexander Bogomaz reported that the drones were destroyed over the Bryansk district, with no casualties or destruction.
Ukraine has previously attempted to attack Novorossiysk and Crimea using maritime drones. The last reported attack involving unmanned vessels on Novorossiysk occurred on July 3.