MOSCOW: The Russian army accused Ukraine on Saturday (Oct 29) of a “massive” drone attack on its Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, while Britain bluntly rejected Moscow’s claims its specialists were involved.

Sevastopol in Moscow-annexed Crimea, which has been targeted several times in recent months, serves as the headquarters for the fleet and a logistical hub for operations in Ukraine.

The Russian army claimed to have “destroyed” nine aerial drones and seven maritime ones, in an attack on the port early Saturday.

Moscow’s forces alleged British “specialists”, whom they said were based in the southern Ukrainian city of Ochakiv, had helped prepare and train Kyiv to carry out the strike.

In a further singling out of the UK – which Moscow sees as one of the most unfriendly Western countries – Moscow said the same British unit was involved in explosions on the Nord Stream gas pipelines last month.

Britain strongly rebutted both claims, saying “the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale”.

The British defence ministry said that this “invented story says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the West”.

Moscow’s military said ships targeted at their Crimean base were involved in a UN-brokered deal to allow the export of Ukrainian grain.

Russia had recently criticised the deal, saying its own grain exports have suffered due to Western sanctions.

“MASSIVE” ATTACK

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said Saturday’s drone attack was the “most massive” the peninsula had seen.

The city’s services were on “alert”, but he claimed no “civilian infrastructure” had been damaged.

He called on residents of the city not to post videos of the incident on social media.

“It should be clear to everyone that such information is much needed for Ukrainian Nazis in order to understand how the defence of our city is built,” he said.

City authorities said that the harbour was “temporarily” closed to boats and ferries and urged people “not to panic”.

The breach was discovered when Ms Truss was running for the Tory leadership in the summer, but details were suppressed by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, The Mail on Sunday reported.

Both the Liberal Democrats and the Labour Party have called for an investigation into the “extremely serious” report.

Spies suspected of working for Russian president Vladimir Putin gained access to sensitive information, including discussions about the Ukraine war with foreign officials, the newspaper said, citing unnamed sources.

It also claimed private conversations between Ms Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng may have been at risk and in the hackers’ hands, potentially leaving them at risk of blackmail – although this has not been confirmed by the Government.

Ms Truss reportedly changed her movbile number shortly before entering Downign Street.

Labour’s shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said: “There are immensely important national security issues raised by an attack like this by a hostile state which will have been taken extremely seriously by our intelligence and security agencies.

“There are also serious security questions around why and how this information has been leaked or released right now which must also be urgently investigated.

“It is essential that all of these security issues are investigated and addressed at the very highest level and we need to know that the Government recognises the gravity of this and the importance of fully protecting our national security.”

Liberal Democrat foreign affairs spokesperson Layla Moran said: “We need an urgent independent investigation to uncover the truth. Was Liz Truss’s phone hacked by Russia, was there a news blackout and if so why?

“If it turns out this information was withheld from the public to protect Liz Truss’s leadership bid, that would be unforgivable.”

Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the Commons Defence Committee, told Sky News: “I have not seen these reports. I don’t know the value or the sources and so forth. It is something for the sister committee, the Intelligence and Security Committee I think to investigate further.”

A UK Government spokesperson said: “We do not comment on individuals’ security arrangements.

“The Government has robust systems in place to protect against cyber threats. That includes regular security briefings for Ministers, and advice on protecting their personal data and mitigating cyber threats.”

Reports on the hacking come as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is resisting demands to launch an inquiry into Suella Braverman for her security breach.

He reappointed her as Home Secretary just six days after she was forced out after sharing a sensitive document with a Tory backbencher from a personal email without permission.

Russia has accused the UK of Nord Stream explosions in September this year, claiming the specialists from the British Royal Navy helped the Ukrainian military blow up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.

“According to available information, representatives of this unit of the British Navy took part in the planning, provision, and implementation of a terrorist attack in the Baltic Sea on September 26 this year – blowing up the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on October 29.

Russia and the US-led Western countries have been pointing fingers at each other over the explosions of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea that carry gas from Russia to Europe.

As EurAsian Times reported earlier, NATO countries led by the US claim that Russia could have been behind the explosions, but they have refrained from making any official remark.

The cause was “apparent sabotage,” said Jake Sullivan, America’s national security adviser. It was “deliberate, reckless, and irresponsible,” declared NATO.

File Image: Nord-Stream

Even Sweden, under whose economic zone the explosions took place, after concluding its investigations of the incident, only stated its “suspicions of gross sabotage” without naming any country for sabotage.

Now Moscow has squarely accused the UK of blowing up the gas pipelines by alleging the involvement of British Navy Specialists in the “planning, provision and implementation” of the attack.

The UK, on its part, denied the accusations leveled by Russia, saying they were designed as a distraction from Russia’s military failures in Ukraine.

To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale

This invented story, says more about arguments going on inside the Russian Government than it does about the west

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) October 29, 2022

“To detract from their disastrous handling of the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Ministry of Defence is resorting to peddling false claims of an epic scale,” it said. “This invented story says more about arguments going on inside the Russian government than it does about the West,” the UK Ministry of Defense said.

Russia’s accusations were a part of its official statement relating to a massive drone attack carried out by Ukraine on the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, damaging at least two Russian warships.

Massive Attack On Sevastopol

According to the Russian defense ministry, 16 drones were involved in the Sevastapol attack, including nine unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) and seven autonomous maritime drones.

The governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhaev, said that the attack on Sevastopol and the Black Sea Fleet was the biggest since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

Ships of the Black Sea Fleet repel an UAV attack in the waters of the Sevastopol Bay, objects in the city were not hit, the governor said. pic.twitter.com/uYNnESmapc

— Sprinter Monitor (@SprinterMonitor) October 29, 2022

The Russian Ministry said that the British specialists from the same unit involved in Nord Stream gas explosions also directed Ukrainian drone attacks on ships of the Russian Black Sea fleet in Crimea earlier on October 29.

“The preparation of this terrorist act and the training of military personnel of the Ukrainian 73rd Special Center for Maritime Operations were carried out under the guidance of British specialists located in the city of Ochakiv, Mykolaiv region of Ukraine,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Russian media report that there was a “UAV attack” on Sevastopol, Crimea at night. pic.twitter.com/AWiiOegHgb

— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) October 29, 2022

The Russian Ministry claimed to have destroyed all nine UAVs and seven unmanned marine vehicles and reported minor damage to Ivan Golubets minesweeper of the Black Sea Fleet.

In addition to the Ivan Golubets minesweeper, OSINT reports based on the videos of the attack suggest the Ukrainian Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) filled with explosives also managed to hit a Project 11356R frigate (presumably Admiral Makarov).

#Ukraine: Remarkable video of today’s attack on the Russian Sevastopol Naval Base.
Ukrainian Uncrewed Surface Vessels (Drone boats filled with explosives) apparently managed to hit a Project 11356R frigate (presumably Admiral Makarov) & the Ivan Golubets Project 266M minesweeper. pic.twitter.com/6nJVkwvgKW

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) October 29, 2022

In one of the videos filmed by a camera onboard the USV, the USV can be seen fired upon by Russian warships, motor boats, and even helicopters.

#Ukraine: Remarkable video of today’s attack on the Russian Sevastopol Naval Base.
Ukrainian Uncrewed Surface Vessels (Drone boats filled with explosives) apparently managed to hit a Project 11356R frigate (presumably Admiral Makarov) & the Ivan Golubets Project 266M minesweeper. pic.twitter.com/6nJVkwvgKW

— 🇺🇦 Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) October 29, 2022

In another video, a Russian military helicopter can be seen flying overhead the USV, which explodes later.

The Governor of Russian-occupied Sevastopol claimed that Russian forces repelled a UAV attack starting this morning, which included an unmanned naval system. https://t.co/GKA5p3fKWghttps://t.co/6ZxyKM4hXw pic.twitter.com/UCqUnHakx1

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) October 29, 2022

The US military aid package for Ukraine announced in April included unmanned coastal defense vessels. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said during a press briefing on April 13 that the USVs “can be used for various purposes in coastal defense” without providing additional details.

The first evidence of the Ukrainian military using USVs in the war emerged in September when photos of a previously unknown USV began doing the rounds on social media. The USV was reportedly found on a beach close to Sevastopol, and the Russian authorities claimed to have destroyed it.

Previously Unknown USV Found In Near Sevastopol In Crimea (Twitter)

At the time, EurAsian Times discussed how such explosive-laden USVs could enable the Ukrainian military to attack Russian warships outside the range of ground-launched anti-ship missiles such as the homegrown Neptune or the US-made Harpoon, as well as targets in highly secure port areas such as Sevastopol.

***UPDATE***

Now beyond any reasonable doubt that the type of surface drones used by #Ukraine to attack Russian Navy in Sevastopol today were same as one previous found near the base. #OSINT

Reference https://t.co/vpJFzEniD6
And https://t.co/YWqnJzWTqc pic.twitter.com/bX0vZvC1Hk

— H I Sutton (@CovertShores) October 29, 2022

According to the noted Naval Analyst H.I. Sutton, the type of USVs used by Ukraine for the attack on October 29 were the same as the one found in September near Sevastopol.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the ships targeted in the latest drone attack ensured the security of the “grain corridor” as part of the international initiative to export agricultural products from Ukrainian ports.

Details about the hack were suppressed by then-prime minister Boris Johnson and Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, The Mail on Sunday claimed, citing what it said amounted to a “news blackout” imposed by Mr Case.