A Russian official has stated that Russia’s naval headquarters for its Black Sea fleet in Crimea was hit by a drone Saturday. The Governor of Sevastopol, Milkhail Razvozhayev took to Telegram to confirm the hit, saying that a drone crashed into the roof of the building, and that there were no casualties.
Razvozhayev first said the drone “flew into the roof” of the building and noted that Russian forces had not been able to down the strike.
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In less than an hour later, he amended his comments to say that the drone had been shot down “right above the fleet headquarters,” and it fell on the roof and caught fire.
At the time of this report, it remained unclear if the drone was shot down or not but Fox News reported that a video posted online showed black smoke billowing over the building.
A Russian official in Crimea, Oleg Kryuchkov, also took to Telegram to urge civilians in Crimea to “remain calm” as “attacks by small drones continue” around Crimea.
“The goal is not military but psychological,” he added. “The explosives are minimal and not capable of inflicting significant harm.”
Russia’s military installations in Crimea and in mainland Russia has seen several attacks in recent weeks.
On August 11, Russian media reported a military housing fire in a town outside Moscow. There was no clear information on how the fire started, speculations said that it was as a result of explosions. This happened just a day after a Russian airbase in Crimea saw explosions that wiped out nine warplanes, military bases in Russia and Belarus have been rocked by explosions and fires on Thursday.
On July 31, The Governor of Crimea claimed that Ukraine attacked Russia’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters in Sevastopol. He made the claim on his Telegram channel.
The Black Sea Fleet is the fleet of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean Sea. The Black Sea Fleet, and other Russian ground and air forces in Crimea, are subordinate to the Southern Military District of the Russian Armed Forces.
Sevastopol or Sebastopol is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city’s harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base throughout its history. Since the city’s founding in 1783 it has been a major base for Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, and it was previously a closed city during the Cold War.
As of January 2021, the city of Sevastopol, largely concentrated around Sevastopol Bay and with a total area of 864 square kilometres (334 sq mi), had a population of 429,922, while the larger conglomerate of surrounding towns and rural communities boosts the total population of the area to 509,992.
Nnamdi Maduakor is a Writer, Investor and Entrepreneur
