Ukrainian Armed Forces find Russia's weakest links in the Black Sea - British intelligence

The UK Ministry of Defense reported the information on August 9.

The ministry noted that on August 4, 2023, the Russian oil tanker SIG was attacked and disabled near the Kerch Strait, probably by an unmanned surface vehicle.

This happened one day after a similar attack on the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship and two days after a failed attack on Russian patrol boats while they were allegedly escorting the Sparta IV Russian vessel.

Despite flying civilian flags, the SIG and Sparta IV vessels reportedly have longstanding contracts to transport fuel and military equipment between Russia and Syria.

According to intelligence reports, the attacks show that drone operations are increasingly becoming an important component of modern naval warfare and can be directed against the weakest links in Russia's maritime supply chain.

Explosions near the Crimean Bridge, damage to a Russian tanker on August 5, and an attack in Novorossiysk: details

On the morning of Friday, August 4, residents of the Russian city of Novorossiysk reported explosions. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Ukraine had allegedly attacked a 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 continued, but ship traffic in the port was temporarily suspended.

Later, information circulated on the Internet that the Olenegorsky Gornyak landing ship had been hit. In particular, one of the Russian propagandists reported the information. He claimed that one of the compartments was allegedly flooded, which caused the ship to tip over.

On the night of August 5, powerful explosions were heard near the Crimean Bridge, allegedly caused by marine drones. 

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 reported on Telegram an explosion near the village of Yakovenkove. 

He added that traffic on the Crimean Bridge was blocked and street lights were turned 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 alarm sounded in the area near 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.

The head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), 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. According to him, in order to stop explosions in Russia, the SBU head suggested that Russian forces use the only option - "to leave the territorial waters of Ukraine and our land."

Subsequently, SBU sources told several Ukrainian media outlets that the attack on the Russian SIG tanker was carried out by SBU officers as part of a special operation. The Navy also took part in the operation.

During the special operation, a surface drone carrying 450 kg of TNT was utilized to blow up the Russian oil tanker SIG near the Crimean bridge. The tanker, constructed in 2014 and weighing approximately 5,000 tons, suffered damage as a result of the attack.

Later, Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, commented on the recent drone attacks on the territory of Russia and the temporarily occupied Crimea and announced the expansion of the range of combat operations against Russian military targets.

Anton Pavlushko, an analyst at the international intelligence community InformNapalm, said that there are enough Russian targets in the Black Sea that are constantly engaged in supplying the Russian army.

A report by the Institute for the Study of War on August 6 stated that the Ukrainian Navy's strikes on Russian targets are likely part of a deliberate interception campaign aimed at creating favorable conditions for larger counteroffensive operations.