Russia denies Ukraine forces damaged navy ship in Black Sea

(Reuters) – Russia on Saturday dismissed Ukraine’s claim it had damaged a modern navy logistics ship in the Black Sea and showed photos of what it said was the vessel with no signs of damage.

Military authorities in the southern Odesa region said on Thursday that Ukrainian naval forces had struck the Vsevolod Bobrov, setting it alight.

In an online post, the Russian defence ministry published photos it said had been taken of the ship on Saturday in the Crimean Black Sea port of Sevastopol.

“It is now clear from the photographs that the ship is not damaged at all,” it said.

Last month the missile cruiser Moskva, the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, sunk after catching fire. Ukraine said it hit the ship with a missile fired from the coast while Moscow blamed an ammunition explosion.

(Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Daniel Wallis)