Meanwhile, one of Ukraine’s richest men, a grain merchant, was killed in what Ukrainian authorities said was a carefully targeted Russian missile attack on his home. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the drone blast at the naval headquarters. But the apparently improvised, small-scale nature of the attack raised the possibility that it was the work of Ukrainian rebels trying to drive out Russian forces. The explosion occurred in the port of Sevastopol in Crimea, which was seized from Ukraine by Russia in 2014. Celebrations for the Day of the Russian Navy in Sevastopol were canceled. The press service of the Black Sea Fleet said the drone appeared to be improvised. He described the explosive device as “low-powered.” Sevastopol Mayor Mikhail Razvozhaev said six people were injured. It was not clear where the drone began its flight. Sevastopol is about 170 kilometers (100 miles) south of mainland Ukraine, and Russian forces control much of the mainland along the Black Sea. Following the blast, Crimean authorities raised the terror threat level for the region to “yellow”, the second highest level. However, a Russian lawmaker from Crimea, Olga Kovitides, told the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti that no conclusions could be drawn about the attack until the investigation was completed. Ukraine’s navy and an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky said the reported drone strike highlighted the weakness of Russian air defenses. “Did the invaders admit the weakness of their air defense system? Or their weakness in front of the Crimean partisans?” Oleksiy Arestovich said on Telegram. If such an attack is possible from Ukraine, he said, “destroying the Crimean bridge in such situations no longer sounds unrealistic” – a reference to the span Russia built to connect its mainland with Crimea after the annexation . Elsewhere in Ukraine, the mayor of the major port city of Mykolaiv, Vitaliy Kim, said the bombing killed one of Ukraine’s richest men, Oleksiy Vadatursky, and his wife. Vadatursky headed a grain production and export business. Another adviser to the president, Mykhailo Podolyak, said Vadatursky was specifically targeted. “It was not an accident, but a well thought out and organized premeditated murder. Vadatursky was one of the largest farmers in the country, a key figure in the region and a major employer. That the exact hit of a missile was not only on a house, but on a specific wing, the bedroom, leaves no doubt about the targeting and adjustment of the strike,” he said. Vadatursky’s agricultural business, Nibulon, includes a fleet of ships to ship grain abroad. In the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, near the Russian border, shelling killed one person, the regional administration said. Three people were also killed in attacks last day in the Donetsk region, which is partially under the control of Russian separatist forces, regional governor Pavlo Kirilenko said. Podolyak said on Twitter that images from the prison where at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in an explosion on Friday indicated that the blast came from the building in Olenivka, which is under Russian control. Russian officials claimed the building was attacked by Ukraine with the aim of silencing the prisoners who might have been providing information on Ukrainian military operations. Ukraine blamed Russia for the explosion. Satellite photos taken before and after show that a small, square building in the middle of the prison complex was demolished, its roof in pieces. Podolyak said those images and the lack of damage to adjacent structures showed the building was not attacked by air or artillery. He argued that the evidence was consistent with a hyperbaric bomb being launched inside. The International Committee of the Red Cross has asked to visit the prison to make sure dozens of injured prisoners are receiving proper treatment, but said Saturday that its request had not yet been granted. The Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
