Explosions near Crimean bridge: Russia reports damage to tanker

A representative of the occupation authorities in the Zaporizhzhia region, Volodymyr Rohov, said that "according to preliminary information, a Russian SIG tanker was damaged as a result of an attack by naval drones in the Kerch Strait." According to the crew, the engine room was damaged. The ship cannot move independently, but there is no fuel leakage. Two tugs were sent to help it.

Immediately after the attack, the Russian occupation authorities had different versions of the events. Volodymyr Rohov wrote on Telegram about an explosion near the village of Yakovenkove. 

"A powerful explosion occurred near the Crimean Bridge. A fire followed. Local residents say they heard a loud explosion near the village of Yakovenkove. It is reported that the scene may have been near the Crimean bridge," Rohov said.

He added that traffic on the Crimean Bridge was blocked and street lights were cut off due to security measures. However, according to preliminary data, the bridge itself was not damaged. Rohov also emphasized that it was an attack by Ukrainian drones.

Russian Telegram channels reported several explosions and the sound of shooting. An air alarm sounded in the area of the bridge.

Oleg Kryuchkov, an adviser to the occupying head of Crimea, did not confirm the information about explosions near the bridge. According to him, the alarm near the Kerch bridge was activated only because of the threat of an attack. He also noted that "the loud sounds heard by the residents of Kerch had nothing to do with the Crimean bridge. An attack threat was announced. Once it is lifted, the traffic will resume."

Later, Volodymyr Rohov added that the bridge was attacked by surface and aerial drones. Three of them have already been destroyed:

"At the moment, there is a massive attack of combat drones on the Crimean bridge... Three surface drones have already been destroyed in the Kerch Strait and approaches to the Crimean bridge... UAVs have joined the surface drones."

The head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Malyuk, commented on the recent drone attacks on Russian ships and said that they were completely legal, as they were carried out in the territorial waters of Ukraine.

In order for the explosions in Russia to stop, he suggested that Russian forces take the only opportunity to "leave the territorial waters of Ukraine and our land."

Explosions in Novorossiysk and Feodosiya

On the morning of Friday, August 4, residents of the Russian city of Novorossiysk reported explosions. The Russian Defense Ministry said that it was Ukraine that allegedly attacked the naval base in the city with two naval drones.

The governor of the region said that there were no casualties or damage as a result of the attack. It was also noted that the infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium was not damaged, oil shipments continue, but ship traffic in the port has been temporarily suspended.

Later, information appeared on the Internet that the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship had been targeted. In particular, one of the Russian propagandists wrote about this. He claimed that one of the compartments was allegedly flooded, which caused the ship to tip over.

Captain 3rd Rank Dmytro Pletenchuk noted that the Ukrainian Navy is not involved in the incident in Novorossiysk.

Ukraine is taking measures aimed at countering Russia's attempts to dominate the Black Sea and to control ships that can export grain from Ukrainian ports.

On the night of August 3 to 4, explosions occurred in the temporarily occupied Crimea, Feodosia. Russian Defense Ministry accuses Ukraine of drone attack

On July 17, in the morning, there were explosions on the Crimean Bridge, after which the occupation authorities declared an "emergency" and accused the Ukrainian military of the attack. Damage to the roadway was found on the spans, and 2 deaths were reported.