The Russian military has repelled attacks by two unmanned Ukrainian drone boats carrying explosives on the Russian port city of Novorossiysk, the Defence Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday.

According to the ministry, the boats were destroyed in the sea.

Novorossiysk on the Black Sea is a large port where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet has stationed many warships against Ukraine.

The ministry initially did not mention any potential damage.

It came after local media reported about explosions in the area.

The Russian Defence Ministry also reported repelled drone attacks on the Moscow region as well as the Belgorod and Bryansk regions on the border with Ukraine.

It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

Authorities in Novorossiysk asked residents to remain indoors during the night as streets in the coastal part of the city were closed and sirens sounded.

Novorossiysk, in the southwestern Krasnodar region, was attacked by Ukraine several times in May.

On May 17, 44 drones were shot down that day, with some 30 buildings damaged, according to the authorities.

Russia had launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

After initially focusing on pushing back Russian troops on its territory, Ukraine has since begun also to attack targets in the Russian hinterland to disrupt military supplies.

However, civilians have also been repeatedly impacted by the attacks.

The consequences on the Russian side of the border, however, were relatively small compared to the high number of victims and the massive destruction caused by continuous Russian attacks on Ukraine. 

(dpa/NAN)