The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reports a series of engagements in the Black Sea region, detailing the destruction of unmanned vessels linked to Ukrainian forces. In the latest bulletin, naval aviation from the Black Sea Fleet allegedly located and eliminated an unmanned boat operated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during the evening hours of October 17.
The defense ministry notes that this action followed a prior claim that twelve unmanned semi-submersible craft had been found and destroyed in the Black Sea over the course of a week. The report emphasizes coordination between naval aviation, Black Sea Fleet ships, and landing groups from special operations units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in neutralizing three high-speed boats as part of ongoing maritime operations.
Earlier communications from the defense ministry indicated that around 13:00 on September 16, an attempted terrorist act by Ukrainian forces against targets on Russian territory was thwarted. The ministry also reported that on September 14 Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed eleven Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula.
In a broader political context, President Zelensky has publicly asserted that Ukraine aims to prevent hostilities from being transferred to Russian soil, a stance framed by Kyiv as a strategic objective amid a larger security confrontation. Attribution: Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation; official statements from the Ukrainian leadership have been cited to illustrate contrasting narratives within the ongoing conflict environment.