Russia says tanker hit in Ukrainian attack near Crimea

A Russian tanker has been hit in a Ukrainian attack in the Black Sea, Russia's state-run news agency has said, quoting maritime officials.

Tass said the vessel's engine room was damaged in the overnight strike in the Kerch Strait. No-one was injured.

Several Russian military bloggers say it was a Russian oil tanker that was attacked by a Ukrainian naval drone not far from the Crimean Bridge.

They say residents of nearby coastal villages heard a large explosion.

Ukraine has so far not publicly commented on the issue.

Naval drones, or sea drones, are small, unmanned vessels which operate on or below the water's surface.

Tass quoted an official from Russia's Marine Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) as saying that two tugs had already arrived at the scene of the attack - just to the south of the Kerch Strait.

"The engine room was damaged. Not much, but it was damaged," the official said.

The MRCC provided no further details about the tanker and its owners.

The Kerch Strait connects the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, separating Crimea - Ukraine's peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014 - and Russia's Taman peninsula.

Russian state-run media also reported that lighting on the Crimean Bridge - further north - were turned off and all traffic halted amid warnings of an imminent attack.

If the attack is confirmed, it would be the latest such drone attack in the area.

Footage later emerged purportedly showing the drone hitting the Olenegorsky Gornyak large landing ship. Another unverified video showed a heavily listing vessel being towed to port.

But Russia's defence ministry said it had repelled a Ukrainian attack on its naval base in Novorossiysk which involved two sea drones, but did not admit any damage.

Novorossiysk, a major hub for Russian exports, lies to the south-east of the Kerch Strait.

Clashes in the sea have increased in recent weeks, after Russia abandoned a major UN deal that enabled grain to be safely exported between Russia and Ukraine across the Black Sea.

Ukrainian ports have been pummelled by Russian drones and missiles, and Kyiv has threatened to retaliate.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.