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Ukrainian navy hits FSB boats guarding Kerch Bridge

30 April 2026 11:06 (UTC +04:00)

The Ukrainian Navy struck Russian boats guarding the Kerch Bridge in occupied Crimea early on Thursday, April 30, KYIV POST reads.

“The forces and means of the Ukrainian Navy inflicted damage on the Russian naval fleet in the Kerch Strait area,” the Navy said in a Telegram statement.

According to the report, the strike hit the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) patrol boat Sobol and the anti-sabotage boat Grachonok.

The Navy said the vessels are key units of the Coast Guard of the Border Service of FSB and the Russian Navy, used to guard the Kerch Bridge and counter sabotage operations.

“This is another example of the effective work of the Ukrainian Navy and the consistent reduction of the enemy’s capabilities in the Black Sea,” the statement said.

Notably, a unit of the Ukrainian Navy struck the sanctioned tanker Marquise with naval drones near Tuapse on April 29, Ukraine’s General Staff reported.

The Cameroon-flagged vessel, with a capacity of over 37,000 tons, was drifting without cargo about 210 km (130 miles) from Russian Tuapse with its Automatic Identification System (AIS) turned off, likely awaiting a ship-to-ship transfer.

The strike hit the stern, causing an explosion in the propeller and engine room area. Damage is still being assessed.