Ukraine repels Russian reconnaissance ship off Azov coast
A Ukrainian naval helicopter spotted a Russian coast guard ship in the Sea of Azov which was collecting reconnaissance data, Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operation headquarters reported on Facebook.
“During planned work to illuminate the underwater and surface situation, a helicopter from the Naval Aviation Brigade spotted at a distance of around 10 nautical miles a ship belonging to the Russian FSB coast guard which was gathering intelligence,” the report states.
After making several fly-bys, the helicopter pilots forced the crew of the Russian vessel to move an appropriate distance away from the Ukrainian coast.
The operation was carried out in cooperation between Naval divisions and the artillery and infantry divisions that defend the coast.
In December last year, the Ukrainian Navy created a division of surface forces in the Sea of Azov.