This morning the Russian occupation authorities of Crimea’s Sevastopol claimed that a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle attacked the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet (BSF) in the city injuring five people.
Today Russia celebrates its Navy Day, and so-called Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhaev first said that all the holiday-related festivities in Sevastopol were postponed “due to the attack of ZSU” [the Armed Forces of Ukraine, – Ed.], later that they were canceled.
The BSF’s press service claimed that the attack was carried out using “a low-strength explosive device” installed on “a makeshift UAV.”
With Russia’s Black Sea Fleet’s flagship Moskva sunk in April, Russians didn’t plan a parade of its navy ships in Sevastopol bay, but a number of public events were going to be attended by the fleet’s top bras.
Ukraine denies claimed drone attack on Russia's Black Sea Fleet HQ in occupied Crimea
TASS claimed that a Ukrainian UAV hit the HQ today injuring 5, Odesa Oblast spox calls it a "blatant false flag attack." https://t.co/QGVKnQf1Uc https://t.co/UX0HsGduBS pic.twitter.com/EL3e9lWng2
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) July 31, 2022
Meanwhile, Odesa Military Administration’s spokesman Serhii Bratchuk denied the Russian allegations:
“The report on an alleged Ukrainian attack on the Black Sea Fleet HQ in Sevastopol is a blatant false flag attack (“provocation” – Ed.). The liberation of our Crimea from the occupiers will go differently & much more effectively. Everything has its time.”
Unconfirmed local reports on social media mention a small white commercial quadcopter with a “small rocket” that flew over the city shortly before the explosion.
https://twitter.com/EuromaidanPress/status/1553654573872648194
Most Black Sea Fleet HQ’s workers weren’t in their offices as it is a day off today. Meanwhile, social media users speculated that it could have been another instance of Ukrainian partisan activities or just a cheap way for the occupation authorities and navy to hide the fact of the embezzlement of the funds previously allocated for the celebration of the Russian Navy Day.
Updates:
“Actually, the enemy didn’t risk celebrating the Russian navy day, but to avoid the shame in front of the whole world, fearing Ukraine’s Armed Forces, invented an excuse to cancel the events on the occasion of the so-called holiday.”
