Russia claims it repelled attack by Ukraine on Black Sea warship

Russia on Sunday claimed that its force repelled an attack by the Ukrainian army on a Russian warship which was guarding gas pipelines in the Black Sea.

"Ukraine's armed forces made an unsuccessful attempt to attack the Black Sea Fleet's Priazovye ship," stated the Russian defence ministry, adding that the forces of Kyiv used six unmanned boats.

"All the boats have been destroyed. There are no casualties,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Priazovye battleship, which has been guarding the Blue Stream and the TurkStream gas pipelines, has been performing its tasks without much hindrance, said the defence ministry.

At the time of the attack, reconnaissance was being conducted by a remotely piloted US military aircraft called the RQ-4 Global Hawk in the Black Sea, Moscow stated.

35 people missing in Ukraine's devastating flood: Minister

Thirty-five people, which included seven children, went missing in southern Ukraine on Sunday in the devastating flood which prosecutors called the "worst environmental catastrophe since Chernobyl".

On June 6, the Russian-controlled Kakhovka dam located along the front line in the Kherson region blew up and forced thousands of people to flee, sparking fears of environmental and humanitarian disasters.

Russia has been accused by Ukraine of blowing up the dam on the Dnipro River, while Moscow stated that Kyiv fired upon the structure.

Ukrainian Interior Minister Igor Klymenko stated that 77 towns and villages were flooded in the southern regions of Mykolaiv and Kherson. Klymenko stated that 35 people went missing in the Kherson region, which included seven children.

Because of the flood, five people lost their lives in Kherson and one person was killed in the region of Mykolaiv.

WATCH |Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia under way

Around 3,700 people were evacuated from their homes in both regions, said the minister in a statement. “Separately, Ukrainian Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin and representatives of the International Criminal Court visited the flooded territory,” stated his office.

"This is the worst environmental catastrophe since Chernobyl so we are investigating not only a war crime but also an ecocide," said Kostin in a statement. "The situation is very complicated," he added.

Ukraine announces first gain of offensive, says retook village in southeast

On Sunday,Kyiv stated that Ukrainian forces have retaken a village in thesouth of the country which markedthe first reported gain of the offensive. In a statement, Ukraine's ground forces stated thatsoldiers of the 68th separate ranger brigade had "liberated the settlement of Blagodatne" in the region of Donetsk.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine's counter-offensive against Russia has started. "Counter-offensive and defensive actions are taking place," he stated.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)

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