Russia says destroyed three Ukrainian speedboats in Black Sea

Russia said on Sunday that it destroyed three military speedboats carrying Ukrainian soldiers in the Black Sea which Moscow claims were headed toward annexed Crimea.

"In the western part of the Black Sea… naval aviation of the Black Sea Fleet destroyed three military Willard Sea Force speedboats", which are US-made and were carrying Ukrainian armed forces, the Russian defence ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

The boats were "heading in the direction of the Crimean peninsula" annexed by Russia in 2014, according to the statement.

The Russian army said in a separate statement that eight Ukrainian drones were shot down by its air defence over Crimea and another in the Bryansk region, near the Ukrainian border.

On 24 August, Ukraine said it carried out an operation on the Crimean peninsula, where it raised its national flag.

Ukrainian special forces had come in from the sea, landing on the western part of the peninsula, before leaving "without casualties", according to Ukrainian military intelligence.