Moscow vows retaliation after Ukrainian drones hit Russian tanker

Russia promised to retaliate against the attack by Ukrainian drone on the Russian tanker in the Black Sea.

Russian president Vladimir Putin

Drone strike: On Saturday, Russia threatened to respond to the second drone attack on a ship in a day, which occurred late on Friday when a Ukrainian drone struck a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea.

A major Russian port was attacked by Ukraine early on Friday.

According to Maria Zakharova, a spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Moscow denounced the Ukrainian "terrorist attack" on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait.

She stated on the messaging service Telegram that "there can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished."

As Ukraine's naval capabilities increase, the Black Sea is turning into a more significant theater of warfare in the conflict.

Three weeks ago, Moscow withdrew from a vital export arrangement that permitted Ukraine to ship millions of tons of grain over the Black Sea for sale on global markets.

Following the withdrawal, Russia carried out a series of strikes on Ukrainian ports.

According to an official, the service was responsible for the attack on the tanker, which was bringing fuel for Russian forces.

The attack was carried out using a marine drone loaded with 450 kilograms of TNT, according to the official.

"The Sig tanker...suffered a hole in the engine room near the waterline on the starboard side, presumably as a result of a sea drone attack," said Russia's Federal Agency for Marine and River Transport on Telegram.

No casualties in strike

There were no recorded casualties amongst the 11 members of the crew.

According to Vladimir Rogov, a Kremlin-installed official in Ukraine's partially controlled southern Zaporizhzhia region, several members of the ship's crew were injured as a result of the broken glass.

Without naming Ukraine as the perpetrator of the drone strike, Ukraine's Security Service chief Vasyl Malyuk stated that "such special operations are conducted in Ukrainian territorial waters and are completely legal."

"Any such explosions are an absolutely logical and effective step with regard to the enemy," he explained.

The incident temporarily halted traffic on the Kerch Bridge as well as ferry service.

According to shipping expert Jayendu Krishna, the strikes "largely unaffected" Russian shipping activity.

"Every time something bad happens in Russia, Putin goes into vengeance mode... As a result, future attacks in other sections of Ukraine are possible," Krishna added.

"I believe it will amplify the effect and increase the risk in the Black Sea rather than reduce it," he continued.

Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chair of Russia's Security Council, wrote on Telegram on Saturday that Russia would step up its attacks on Ukrainian ports in response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian ships in the Black Sea: "Apparently, the strikes on Odesa, Izmail, and other places were not enough for them," he wrote.