The bombing of a Russian tanker in the Black Sea, according to Putin’s spokesperson, “will not go unanswered.”
Late on Friday, 450 kg of TNT-filled Ukrainian drones fired on the ship near the Crimean peninsula.
It came after similar attacks on Novorossiysk, the first time a Russian port has been hit throughout the conflict’s 18-month duration.
The ‘terrorist attack’ on a supposedly civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait was termed as such by Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The author and perpetrators of such horrific acts will undoubtedly face punishment, she stated on Telegram, and there can be no justification for them.
According to Vladimir Rogov, a Russian officer stationed in the occupied Ukrainian province of Zaporizhzhia, numerous crew members on the tanker had suffered glass injuries.
The attack on the ship, which is believed to have been carrying fuel for Russian forces, has been informally confirmed by a member of the Ukrainian Security Service, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they are not licenced to make public statements.
Following the drone attacks in the Black Sea, a multi-wave offensive against Ukraine was launched on Saturday night, with over 70 air-assault weapons being used against Ukrainian sites.
According to Kiev’s Air Force, all 27 of the Iranian Shahed drones that were launched overnight and 30 of the 40 cruise missiles were destroyed by Ukrainian air defence. Currently, there is no information available regarding the 10 missiles that were not destroyed.
In recent weeks, the battle between Ukraine and Russia has moved closer to the Black Sea.
The Kremlin pulled out of an agreement for Ukraine to ship millions of tonnes of grain for sale on the world market earlier in July, and since then Ukrainian ports have been repeatedly attacked.
Dmitry Medvedev, a former leader of Russia and the country’s deputy chair of the Security Council, wrote on Telegram on Saturday that Moscow would keep attacking these targets in retribution for the recent tanker attack.
He said: ‘Apparently, the strikes on Odesa, Izmail, and other places were not enough for them.’
A two-day summit to discuss potential terms for peace between the warring states has begun in Saudi Arabia in the meanwhile.
Senior government officials from over 40 nations will discuss fundamental ideas for resolving the conflict, but Russia has not sent any representatives.
At the beginning of the negotiations, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated: “It is very important because the fate of millions of people in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world directly depends on how quickly the world will implement the Peace Formula.”
Ms. Zakahorva has recently stated to Russian state media that it is ‘absurd’ to consider resolutions to the conflict without Moscow’s involvement.