According to Tass, the nocturnal hit in the Kerch Strait damaged the vessel’s engine room. Nobody was hurt.

Several Russian military bloggers claim that a Ukrainian navy drone attacked a Russian oil tanker near the Crimean Bridge.

Residents in nearby coastal settlements claim to have heard a big explosion.

Ukraine has yet to make a public statement on the matter.

Naval drones, sometimes known as sea drones, are small, autonomous vehicles that operate on or beneath the surface of the ocean.

How maritime drones are altering the Ukraine conflict
According to Tass, an official from Russia’s Marine Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) said that two tugboats had already arrived to the area of the attack, which was just south of the Kerch Strait.

“The engine room had been damaged. “It wasn’t much, but it was damaged,” the official explained.

The MRCC supplied no additional information about the tanker or its owners.

The Kerch Strait connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, dividing Crimea, Ukraine’s peninsula that Moscow invaded in 2014, and Russia’s Taman peninsula.

The Crimean Bridge’s illumination was also switched off, and all traffic was halted, according to Russian state-run media, amid concerns of an impending attack.

If the incident is confirmed, it will be the area’s latest drone attack.

According to Ukrainian security sources, a Russian navy ship sustained a significant breach in a Ukrainian naval drone strike near Russia’s Black Sea port of Novorossiysk on Friday.

Later, footage supposedly showing the drone colliding with the Olenegorsky Gornyak huge landing ship surfaced. Another unverified video shows a vessel being hauled to port while badly listing.

However, Russia’s defense ministry stated that it had repelled a Ukrainian attack on its naval station in Novorossiysk using two sea drones, but did not admit any damage.

Novorossiysk, a major Russian export hub, is located to the south-east of the Kerch Strait.

Clashes at sea have intensified in recent weeks, as Russia abandoned a crucial UN agreement that allowed grain to be securely transferred across the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine.

Russian drones and missiles have bombarded Ukrainian ports, prompting Kiev to warn retaliation.

In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.