Ukrainian Navy confirmed defeat of Russian ship in Kerch Strait: it was guarding Crimean Bridge area
A Russian ship that was providing security for the area around the Crimean Bridge has been struck in the Kerch Strait. The results of the strike are currently being verified.
According to Censor.NET, this was stated by Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, during an appearance on the "We Are Ukraine" program.
"This is a third-class vessel, a fairly substantial ship. It was used by the Russian FSB's Coast Guard. And, of course, their mission in this situation is, in particular, to guard the waters around the so-called Crimean Bridge. This water area has long been on our radar; we have also destroyed boats there because the Kerch Strait is, in fact, closed by Ukraine. Russian border guards are there illegally. So yes, the ship is important for the Russians to carry out their tasks, just like any other vessel, in principle, but it’s more than just ordinary boats. And if they lose it, of course, they’ll be forced to look for other means of patrolling," Pletenchuk said.
According to the spokesperson, Russia cannot leave the Crimean Bridge unguarded due to Ukraine's previous successful attacks.
"They can't afford to leave the bridge in our hands; we've already seen examples of this," Pletenchuk noted.
He added that patrolling involves constant monitoring of the surface situation and the identification of potential threats.
What happened before?
On the night of June 4, the Unmanned Systems Forces (USF) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine had an extremely productive night, delivering massive and precise strikes on vital military and logistical facilities of the Russian occupiers in their operational depth.
The biggest trophy of the night was a Russian border patrol ship of the Svitlyak class (Project 10410), which was located in the area of the settlement of Yurkine in the occupied Crimea. This 49.5-meter ship with a crew of 28 people performed the tasks of controlling ports and creating a tactical air defense and anti-submarine defense line.
