24 April: Sevastopol under drone attack: Russia blames Ukraine and Britain.
Russia has claimed that it successfully defended its naval base in Sevastopol, Crimea, from a drone attack launched by Ukraine in the early hours of Monday. The Moscow-backed governor of the city said that one of the drones was shot down and another one exploded on its own. Ukraine has not confirmed or denied its involvement in the attack.
The incident has escalated the tensions between Russia and Ukraine over the war in eastern Ukraine and the future of a U.N.-mediated grain deal that aims to ease the global food crisis. Russia has accused Britain of helping Ukraine coordinate the attack, a charge that Britain has rejected.
The drone attack targeted the Black Sea Fleet, which is stationed in Sevastopol, a port city that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014. The international community does not recognise Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and considers it part of Ukraine.
The annexation sparked a conflict in eastern Ukraine between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces that has killed more than 13,000 people.
The U.N.-brokered grain deal was signed in February to allow the export of Ukrainian agricultural products through the Black Sea ports under the supervision of international observers.
The deal was seen as a diplomatic breakthrough that could ease the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine and reduce the risk of famine in other parts of the world. However, Russia has recently suspended its participation in the deal, citing security concerns and accusing Ukraine of violating the terms of the agreement.