According to a Ukrinform correspondent, Dmytro Pletenchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Naval Forces, stated this on television.
According to him, third-rank vessels (large boats or small ships) of the FSB’s maritime guard were struck.
“The main thing is not even that they were struck, but where they were struck. And this happened in Kerch,” Pletenchuk noted.
He emphasized that Kerch is of particular importance to Russia because of the location of the Kerch Bridge and its strong air defenses.
“They’ve always been known to have a fairly high level of air defense there, but there were gaps,” the spokesperson said.
Pletenchuk added that the FSB coast guard vessels were among the few that were still operating at sea.
Read also: Explosion occurs at sea in Kobleve, Mykolaiv region; one person killed, and others injured“This is not just another reminder that we haven’t forgotten about them, but also a reduction in capabilities, because the maritime component of the coast guard consists of the only ships that still dare to set sail anywhere,” he emphasized.
As reported by Ukrinform, the Security Service of Ukraine announced that two Russian FSB coast guard patrol ships in occupied Crimea—the Balaklava and the Kerch—had been damaged as a result of a drone attack.