Russian Black Sea Fleet forces destroyed six unmanned boats of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (Ukrainian Armed Forces) in the Black Sea, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported in its daily report.

According to the agency, the boats were discovered and destroyed by naval aviation between 07:00 and 12:00 Moscow time.

"The Black Sea Fleet destroyed six unmanned boats of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Black Sea," – the press service said in a statement.

This became part of measures to ensure the security of maritime communications and counter attempts at sabotage attacks by Ukrainian forces.

The destruction of the boats occurred amid ongoing operations to intercept unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the region. On the night of October 16, Russian air defenses shot down 51 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over Russian territory, and over the past 16 hours, they shot down an additional 278 drones, six guided bombs, and a HIMARS rocket. Furthermore, earlier that night, two additional Ukrainian unmanned boats en route to the Crimean Peninsula were intercepted in the Black Sea.

Unmanned boats (UBKs) are autonomous or remotely controlled watercraft, often armed with explosives, that Kyiv uses to attack Russian ships and infrastructure in the Black Sea. Such incidents have become more frequent since the start of the special military operation, and Russian forces regularly repel such threats, demonstrating the effectiveness of their naval aviation and detection systems.