Witnesses reported gunfire and at least one explosion at sea just off the coast of Novorossiysk

Russian patrol vessels have engaged and destroyed two incoming naval drones near the Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar region, the Defense Ministry said in a brief statement on Friday morning.

Ukrainian forces attempted to attack the city of Novorossiysk, which hosts a major Russian naval base, using two unmanned boats, both of which were detected and destroyed, the Russian military said.

Emergency services previously confirmed the sound of “explosions” in the area, according to RIA Novosti, but officials have yet to share further details.

Multiple videos shared by Readovka, Mash, SHOT and other popular digital media showed what appeared to be gunfire by a patrol boat, and an unidentified object burning and exploding not far from the shore.

The sound of the blast was reportedly heard in nearby coastal settlements of Myskhako, Yuzhnaya Ozereevka and Abrau-Dyurso.

The Russian military has repeatedly reported Ukrainian attempts to strike vessels and port cities using naval drones, most of which have been intercepted by Russian defense systems. Moscow has also accused the Ukrainian forces of taking advantage of grain corridors to stage attacks.

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On Wednesday, Ukraine attacked a Russian military ship which was escorting a civilian vessel in the Black Sea, with a speedboat-type drone, according to the Defense Ministry. The ministry reported a similar attack on Tuesday, claiming it involved three naval drones targeting civilian Russian vessels sailing towards the Bosphorus. The convoys’ escorts thwarted the attacks in both cases.

CNN recently claimed to have gained rare access to a secret Ukrainian naval facility that was used to set the stage for a maritime drone attack on the Crimean Bridge in which two civilians were killed.