Overnight on 18 July, Ukrainian forces have successfully carried out a drone attack on a Russian coast guard base located on Lake Donuzlav in occupied Crimea, according to a report by Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, referring to its sources in law enforcement agencies.
Russia claims to have repelled naval drone attack in occupied Crimea
The operation, conducted jointly by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Ukrainian Navy, employed a combination of sea and air drones. The report says the attack resulted in significant damage to key infrastructure at the Russian base, including:
- Headquarters with command center
- Ammunition and equipment depot
- Power substation
- Technical facilities
- Russian firing positions
The sources stated,
“Last night, the Russian occupation naval forces were conducting exercises to protect the waters of Lake Donuzlav in Crimea. Thanks to SBU drones, these exercises became a failure, as the Russians could not even protect their base, let alone the lake’s waters.”
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have shot down 33 drones over occupied Crimea and 10 unmanned boats in the Black Sea waters overnight on 18 July. Residents of Crimea reported military activity in Sevastopol and in the area of Lake Donuzlav.
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