The Russian military says it has ‘performed a check of Canadian-made navigation units’ found in the downed drones.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the drones used to attack Russian ships in the Black Sea in Crimea were equipped with Canadian-made parts used in navigation systems.
It said 16 Ukrainian drones attacked the Black Sea fleet in the annexed Crimea in the early hours of Saturday morning. Russia said its naval fleet had “repelled” the attack in the Gulf of Sevastopol.
The Russian military “carried out an examination of the Canadian-made navigation units” that were found in the downed drones.
“According to the results of the information obtained from the memory of the navigational receiver, it was established that the launch of naval drones took place from the coast near the city of Odessa,” the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.
The drones reportedly moved along the “grain corridor” safe zone, before changing course to head for the Russian naval base in Sevastopol, the largest city in Crimea.
The Defense Ministry said one of the drones may have been launched “from aboard one of the civilian ships chartered by Kyiv or its Western masters for the export of agricultural products from seaports in Ukraine”.
Russia accused Kyiv of planning the Sevastopol attack with the help of military “specialists” from the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom denied the accusations.
And last month, a major bridge linking Crimea to mainland Russia was partially damaged in an explosion that Moscow blamed on Ukraine. Kyiv denied its role in the attack, which drew Russia in retaliation.
Since then, Russia has carried out airstrikes and drone strikes across Ukraine, damaging more than a third of its energy infrastructure.
. “Proud zombie lover. Evil pop culture buff. Amateur thinker. Total food practitioner. Tv evangelist.”