Russian Defense Ministry says it repelled Ukrainian ‘sabotage’ attack on Sevastopol

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had detected three unmanned Ukrainian boats in the Black Sea near Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. According to the ministry’s statement, “anti-sabotage missiles and bombs hit the location where the unmanned boats were detected.”

The ministry added that “anti-mine and anti-sabotage” measures were being carried out in Sevastopol’s outer harbor.

Early October 24, Mikhail Razvozhaev, the governor of Russian-annexed Sevastopol, wrote on his Telegram channel that the Black Sea Fleet was “repelling a possible attack by the enemy’s underwater sabotage forces.”

Sevastopol has been regularly shelled since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In early October, Russia relocated some of its ships to Novorossiysk, Russia, likely in response to strikes on Black Sea Fleet facilities as well as to the expected delivery of ATACMS missiles to Ukraine.