MOSCOW: Moscow said Wednesday it had destroyed three Ukrainian drone boats in the Black Sea after a first Ukrainian attack in the morning against a shipyard in Russian-annexed Crimea.

The defence ministry said in a statement on Telegram that its Black Sea Fleet aviators had "detected and destroyed three unmanned boats of the Ukrainian army".

Ukraine and Russia have increased attacks in the Black Sea since Moscow pulled out of a key deal ensuring the safe navigation of cargo ships.

Russia says two Ukrainian drones downed over Belgorod

Earlier on Wednesday, Russia's defence ministry said that Ukrainian cruise missiles had struck a shipyard in the Crimean port of Sevastopol overnight.

Russia, which annexed Crimea in 2014, said that Ukraine used three maritime drones and ten cruise missiles in the attack, which it claimed damaged two ships undergoing repairs.

Crimea has been targeted by Ukraine throughout Moscow's offensive but attacks there have recently intensified as Kyiv vows to take the peninsula back.