Ukrainian Navy Hits FSB Boats Guarding Kerch Bridge

Ukrainian naval drones hit Russian FSB boats guarding the Kerch Bridge, targeting key vessels used to secure the crossing and counter sabotage in the Black Sea. Make us preferred on Google Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied (Screenshot from the video) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google The Ukrainian Navy struck Russian boats guarding the Kerch Bridge in occupied Crimea early on Thursday, April 30. “The forces and means of the Ukrainian Navy inflicted damage on the Russian naval fleet in the Kerch Strait area,” the Navy said in a Telegram statement. Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official . According to the report, the strike hit the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) patrol boat Sobol and the anti-sabotage boat Grachonok. “As a result of the strike, the enemy suffered irrecoverable and sanitary losses,” the statement added. The Navy said the vessels are key units of the Coast Guard of the Border Service of FSB and the Russian Navy, used to guard the Kerch Bridge and counter sabotage operations. “This is another example of the effective work of the Ukrainian Navy and the consistent reduction of the enemy’s capabilities in the Black Sea,” the statement said. A short video released by the Navy appears to show the moment of the strike from naval drones , but Kyiv Post could not independently verify the time or location of the footage. Notably, a unit of the Ukrainian Navy struck the sanctioned tanker Marquise with naval drones near Tuapse on April 29, Ukraine’s General Staff reported. The Cameroon-flagged vessel, with a capacity of over 37,000 tons, was drifting without cargo about 210 km (130 miles) from Russian Tuapse with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off, likely awaiting a ship-to-ship transfer. Other Topics of Interest Poland Plans to Test Military Equipment on Ukrainian Front Warsaw aims to use Ukraine’s battlefield experience to test equipment and deepen joint drone and defense industry cooperation. The strike hit the stern, causing an explosion in the propeller and engine room area. Damage is still being assessed. Moreover, in early April, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported that its special forces destroyed the Slavyanin – Russia’s last railway ferry in the Kerch Strait . According to HUR, the vessel was part of Russia’s Kerch ferry crossing, used to supply troops in occupied Crimea, including transporting fuel, weapons, ammunition, and military equipment. The strike was carried out in the early hours of April 6, when HUR’s Active Operations Department disabled the ferry using drones. This was not the first time the vessel had been targeted. It was damaged in a previous operation in March but remained afloat. Earlier, on July 23, 2024, the Ukrainian Navy, together with other military units, struck the ferry at Russia’s port of Port of Kavkaz, where it sustained multiple direct hits. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization since 1995. Its international market reach of 97% outside of Ukraine makes it truly Ukraine’s Global – and most reliable – Voice.