Russian Black Sea City Declares Emergency After New Ukraine Strikes.
A Ukrainian drone attack on the Black Sea coast has sparked a state of emergency, according to local officials.
The attack on the city of Novorossiysk in Russia’s Krasnodar region took place overnight Friday and injured at least five people, according to the city’s mayor.
Much of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has been moved to the city in the Krasnodar region which is east of Crimea, the peninsula occupied by Russia since 2014, separated by the Kerch Strait.
Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian defense ministry for comment.
Often without claiming direct responsibility, Ukraine is continuing to use drones to attack Russian military and energy infrastructure. Russia’s use of drones and missiles on Ukraine is also ongoing, as U.S.-led efforts to broker peace falter.
Novorossiysk Mayor Andrey Kravchenko said on Telegram a state of emergency had been declared in the city following an overnight attack by Ukraine, which injured at least five people, including two children.
Residents posting on social media said that the explosions were heard in Kerch, Feodosia, Novorossiysk, and the airport area near Anapa.
“Panic among the civilian population grew-the Crimean bridge was temporarily blocked, and air defense did not always hit where it was needed,” reported Ukrainian outlet UA.org, citing local Telegram channels.
Footage from Baza, a Telegram channel said to have links to Russia’s security services, showed a building that had been hit.
As well as apartment blocks, Kravchenko said that a grain terminal had been damaged. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said last week it had seized a foreign vessel believed to be transporting stolen Ukrainian grain from Russian-occupied territories.
In a statement on Saturday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses downed 170 Ukrainian drones several missiles and 14 naval drones overnight were intercepted overnight Friday mainly over Crimea and Krasnodar region.
It comes as Ukraine has stepped up its drone strikes on Russian targets.
Ukraine’s Commander in Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, said on Thursday that Ukrainian drones had destroyed more than 83,000 Russian targets in April, an eight percent increase from the previous month.
Meanwhile, Russia continues to strike Ukrainian targets, a drone attack on the northeastern city of Kharkiv injuring at least 47 people on Friday, according to local authorities.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the attack showed Russia is targeting residential buildings at a time when Ukrainians are putting their children to bed and that “only tyrants can give such orders.”
Novorossiysk Mayor Andrey Kravchenko on Telegram: “A state of emergency has been declared in Novorossiysk..as a result of the night attack by the Kyiv regime, apartment buildings … were damaged.”
Both sides are likely to continue to launch drone and missile attacks as the U.S. pushes for negotiations to end the war.
Miami herald