Ukraine received a blow from the Russian Aerospace Forces for the first time
Russia took tough action against Ukrainian Navy boats after they refused to comply with demands and leave Russian territorial waters, citing the right of free passage through the Kerch Strait.
Chief of the General Staff of Ukraine Viktor Muzhenko said this at an emergency statement by the Verkhovna Rada, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
He claims that the Ukrainian Navy boats were hit by missiles fired by Russian aircraft.
“At 4:55 the ships entered the 12-mile zone near the Kerch Strait. At 6:55, border guards of the FSB of the Russian Federation and warships of the Black Sea Fleet began unsafe maneuvering, preventing the movement of Ukrainian ships towards the Kerch Strait. At 6:27, the FSB border boat issued an ultimatum demanding that they leave the 12-mile zone.
Our ships continued to carry out their planned mission, because the passage of ships through the Kerch Strait is carried out in free navigation mode. At 6:55, during unsafe maneuvering, our tug was damaged and lost speed,” said Muzhenko.
Then, according to him, dispatchers at the port of Kerch informed the Ukrainians about the violation of the Russian border. However, at 8:30, Ukrainians were asked to stand in the parking lot to wait in line to pass under the arch of the Kerch Bridge.
At 14:00, the Ukrainians were informed that the entrance to the strait was closed to warships. However, Muzhenko noted, Russian combat units continued to move under the bridge.
Kyiv soon lost contact with its ships - Muzhenko claims that Russia deployed an electronic warfare device that also suppressed the ship's automated identification system.
When the Ukrainian Navy boats decided to return to Odessa, they were surrounded by 10 Russian combat units - 4 ships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and six FSB boats, Muzhenko claims.
“13-14 miles from the coast of Crimea they were attacked by Russian ships with lethal fire. Three of our servicemen were wounded and three were injured,” he said, adding that Ukraine knew about what was happening next only from “radio interceptions.”
“Today we received information that during the attack on Ukrainian ships, Russian aviation was also used - the Su-30 carried out such an attack with the help of two missiles,” the Ukrainian military leader added.
Muzhenko claims that Ukrainian intelligence is receiving information from Kerch - three wounded have been hospitalized, and the whereabouts of the remaining crew members are unknown.
If you find an error, please select a piece of text and press Ctrl + Enter.
Thank you!
Now the editors are aware.