Putin promises revenge for ‘terrorist’ drone attack on Russian tanker | World News

Putin’s mouthpiece has said the bombing of a Russian tanker in the Black Sea ‘will not go unanswered.’

Ukrainian drones carrying roughly 450 kg of TNT struck the vessel near the Crimean peninsula late on Friday. 

It followed similar strikes against Novorossiysk, which marked the first time a Russian port has been targeted in the course of the 18-month conflict. 

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, described it as a ‘terrorist attack’ on a purportedly civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait. 

She wrote on Telegram: ‘There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished.’

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed official in the occupied Ukrainian territory of Zaporizhzhia, added several crew members aboard the tanker had been injured by broken glass.

A member of Ukraine’s Security Service has unofficially confirmed the service was behind the attack against the vessel, which is thought to have been transporting fuel for Russian forces, though they spoke on condition of anonymity, given they are not authorised to give public statements.

The drone strikes in the Black Sea were promptly followed by a multi-wave attack against Ukraine on Saturday night, with more than 70 air-assault weapons deployed against Ukrainian targets.

Kyiv’s Air Force said Ukrainian air defence had shot down 30 of 40 cruise missiles and all 27 of the Iranian Shahed drones launched overnight. There is not currently any information on the ten missiles that were not neutralised. 

The Black Sea has become an increasingly important arena in the war between Ukraine and Russia in recent weeks.

Earlier in July, the Kremlin withdrew from a grain export deal allowing Ukraine to transport millions of tonnes across the water to be sold on the global market, and has since conducted repeat attacks against Ukrainian ports. 

Writing on Telegram, former president and Deputy Chair of Russia’s Security Council Dmitry Medvedev suggested on Saturday that Moscow would continue strikes against these targets in retaliation for the recent tanker attack. 

He wrote: ‘Apparently, the strikes on Odesa, Izmail, and other places were not enough for them.’

Meanwhile, a two-day summit to examine prospective terms for peace between the warring nations has started in Saudi Arabia. 

Senior officials from roughly 40 countries will discuss key principles on how to end the conflict, though Russia has not sent any representatives. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky said at the opening of the talks: ‘It is very important because in such matters as food security, the fate of millions of people in Africa, Asia, and other parts of the world directly depends on how fast the world will be in implementing the Peace Formula.’

Ms Zakahorva has since told Russian state media it is ‘absurd’ to discuss decisions on the conflict without the participation of Moscow.

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