Russian Lawmaker Says Black Sea Sabotage Aimed to Derail Peace Talks
A Russian lawmaker claims Ukraine’s Black Sea sabotage attempt was meant to disrupt peace talks. Moscow credits its forces and drones with foiling the attack.
Russian lawmaker and retired Major General Leonid Ivlev, representing Crimea in the State Duma, described the recent Ukrainian operation in the Black Sea as another attempt by Kyiv to derail peace negotiations.
According to Ivlev, such actions were not spontaneous. He argued that the attack had likely been coordinated with Western partners, stressing that operations of this scale do not occur without support from European states.
The deputy linked the attempted strike on the Crimean Bridge with the Ukrainian landing operation on the peninsula’s western coast, suggesting the two incidents were part of a single plan intended to unfold simultaneously. He added that thanks to the actions of Russia’s security services and military, those plans were thwarted. Ivlev also expressed gratitude to Black Sea Fleet drone units, which he said played a decisive role in neutralizing the threat.
Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that on the night of August 19–20, Ukrainian forces attempted a diversionary mission in the Black Sea using landing craft aimed at Crimea. The ministry said the effort was stopped with the help of drone units.