Disabled Ukrainian kamikaze boat beaches in Crimea – official
A Russian bomb squad is defusing a disabled Ukrainian naval drone that washed ashore in Yalta, Crimea, according to the local authorities.
The operation was reported on Friday by Oleg Kryuchkov, an aide to the Russian region’s head, Sergey Aksyonov. The regional Emergencies Ministry earlier announced a naval drone alert for Yalta, urging residents to stay away from the harbor.
It remains unclear whether the unmanned vessel was disabled while trying to strike the resort city. Footage available online purports to show the drone floating close to the shore as well as a plume of smoke billowing from the port area.
Ukraine recently stepped up its long-range attacks on civilian infrastructure in Russia as part of a 40-day “pressure campaign” announced by Vladimir Zelensky. Bomb-carrying Ukrainian speedboats have been involved in multiple strikes on ships carrying Russian cargo, including in international waters. On several occasions, disabled Ukrainian naval drones created threats to third nations, including Greece, Romania, and Türkiye.
Kiev’s escalation has prompted Russian retaliation, which has left Ukraine virtually without access to Black Sea trade. However, it reportedly failed to convince US President Donald Trump that he should offer greater support for the Ukrainian war effort.
