The drone attack, blamed on Ukrainian forces, was directed against the headquarters of the Russian Navy in the Black Sea yesterday, a day after the Pentagon announced new $775 million in military aid to Kyiv aimed at changing the course of hostilities.
The attack took place in Sevastopol, there were no casualties, said the governor of the city in the Crimea, Mikhail Razvozhev.
“The drone was shot down over the headquarters of the fleet, fell on the ceiling and caught fire,” Razvozyaev said in a message via the Telegram app.
The incident left no “major damage” or injuries, according to the governor, placing the blame for the operation on Ukrainian forces.
This is the second attack on the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol in less than a month.
It comes after the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) announced on Friday a new $775 million military aid package for Ukraine aimed at helping Kyiv turn the tide on the ground and rebuild lands occupied by Russian forces since launched the invasion on 24 February.
A senior Pentagon official told reporters that the new aid includes precision-guided missiles, anti-tank weapons, reconnaissance drones, artillery and mine-clearing equipment that could boost Ukrainian attacks.
“You see a total and total lack of Russian advancement on the battlefield,” the official added, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The new aid package includes missiles for HIMARS systems, which the Ukrainians are using to strike Russian weapons depots, and HARM air-to-surface anti-radar missiles.
It also includes 15 Sky Eagle reconnaissance aircraft, 1,000 Javelin anti-tank missiles, 1,500 TOW missiles and new ordnance artillery.
On the other hand, Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Friday that the International Atomic Energy Agency would send a mission to Ukraine’s Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
“The systematic bombing of the territory of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant increases the risk of a large-scale catastrophe that could lead to radioactive contamination of vast territories,” Putin warned during a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Both presidents stressed “the importance of sending an International Atomic Energy Agency mission to the nuclear power plant as soon as possible to assess the situation on the ground,” according to the Kremlin, noting that “the Russian side confirmed its readiness to provide all necessary support to the agency’s inspectors.”
Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged Russia on Friday during a visit to Ukraine not to disconnect the Zaporozhye power plant, which it controls, in the south of the country, from the Ukrainian power grid at a time when Kyiv and Moscow exchanged accusations of bombing the site.
On the economic side, S&P Global (S&P) said the upgrade of external debt to ‘CCC+’ reflects “a commitment to strong international financial support for Ukraine, accompanied by a depletion of foreign exchange reserves, although it is still relatively high.” ” ”.
“As a result, short-term risks to the government’s liquidity position and, more broadly, its ability to repay its commercial debt, including in foreign currencies, appear to be manageable,” she added.
An agreement with the International Monetary Fund to provide him with a loan could ease the pressure on Ukraine.
