The Russian Armed Forces launched an overnight missile strike on facilities that manufactured and prepared drone boats near the Ukrainian city of Odessa, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
"Last night, the Russian armed forces launched a group strike with long-range high-precision sea- and air-launched weapons on facilities where terrorist acts against the Russian Federation were being prepared using uncrewed boats, as well as on places where they were being manufactured in the vicinity of the city of Odessa. Foreign mercenaries were present at the affected facilities," the ministry said.
All targets chosen for the strike were destroyed, the ministry added.
Last Monday, Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case under the article "terrorist attack" in connection with the attack by two Ukrainian surface drones on the Crimean bridge. The attack killed a couple from Russia's Belgorod region and seriously injured their daughter.
Commenting on the incident, Russian President Vladimir Putin called it not only a brutal but also a militarily senseless crime. The president assured that Russia would not leave this attack unanswered.
Subsequently, the Russian army launched a series of retaliatory missile strikes on drone boat production and storage facilities, as well as fuel infrastructure facilities and weapons depots of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Odessa, Chornomorsk, formerly Illichivsk, and Nikolaev regions.