Not only at sea, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacks also cause casualties in many coastal cities in southern Russia.
RT quoted information from the Russian Investigative Committee as saying that Ukraine launched an attack on a Liberian-flagged oil tanker while the ship was operating in Russian territorial waters. The incident injured the captain - a Turkish citizen - and had to be hospitalized for emergency treatment.
According to this agency, the scene has been sealed off for investigation. Experts have recorded damage on the hull and are conducting explosives testing to accurately determine the method of attack.
This is considered one of the rare incidents related to foreign civilian ships being directly affected in Russian waters since the conflict escalated.
Meanwhile, the government of Krasnodar region in southern Russia said that a series of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) attacked many coastal areas, including Sochi and Dagomys. Governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed the heaviest damage occurred in the town of Tuapse.
Here, 2 people were killed, including a 14-year-old girl, and at least 7 others were injured. UAV debris fell into residential areas and seaport areas, forcing local authorities to declare a state of emergency throughout the Tuapse district.
In the port city of Novorossiisk - an important oil export center of Russia - UAV debris also fell on a civilian ship, causing a fire and injuring one person. Local authorities believe that this ship may be the oil tanker mentioned earlier by the Russian Investigative Committee.
The series of simultaneous attacks at sea and in the air shows that Ukraine is increasing pressure on Russia's energy transport routes and coastal infrastructure.
The attack on a ship flying the Liberian flag with a Turkish captain in Russian territorial waters also raised concerns about the risk of internationalizing the conflict.
