Moscow: Ukraine launches major sea and air attack with drones on Crimea

Dozens of Ukrainian drones targeted Crimea overnight as the aerial threat emanating from Kyiv to the occupied peninsula continues.

Kyiv has carried out many successful attacks on the peninsula, which was annexed by Moscow in 2014, often targeting anti-aircraft batteries. Attacks on the Russian Black Sea Fleet have pushed it further east from its center in the city of Sevastopol.

According to the city’s appointed mayor in Moscow, this barrage continued into the night of Wednesday. Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said that Sevastopol had been attacked by a naval drone.

Residents of the city posted on social media that they had heard loud explosions. “The loud sounds heard in the city were from our military repelling an attempted attack by a surface drone,” Razvozhayev wrote on Telegram.

The Telegram channel “Crimean Wind” published video footage that allegedly shows Russian defense forces firing towards the sea at night and explosions occurring.

The Russian Defense Ministry posted on Telegram that Kyiv had attempted to carry out “a terrorist attack.” However, air defense systems “destroyed and intercepted” 33 drones over Crimea and two over the Russian region of Bryansk. The governor said they caused no casualties or damage. Newsweek has not yet verified all of these claims.

Moscow also claimed to have destroyed ten unmanned boats heading toward the Crimean peninsula. As of Thursday morning, Kyiv had not commented on Moscow’s claims. Newsweek has asked the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for its opinion.

Three days earlier, Ukrainian drones had targeted areas south of Sevastopol. Russian authorities said their defenses had shot down at least one drone over Cape Fiolent on July 15. The Kyiv Independent The online newspaper reported this.

Local residents heard at least eight explosions and reported hits in the area. There was reportedly a Russian military base there, which is said to be equipped with S-300 or S-400 air defense systems.

Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian territory, often without directly claiming responsibility, targeting energy and military facilities it believes support the Russian war effort.

Kiev has previously used naval drones with great success and hit the landing ship Caesar KunikowThe Sergei Kotov Patrol ship, high-speed landing craft of the Serna and Akula classes and the Tarantul class Ivanovets Missile corvette.

The Ukrainian Navy said Moscow withdrew its last patrol ship from Sevastopol on July 15 due to repeated attacks on the Black Sea Fleet.

There were reports that Russia fired a Shahed kamikaze drone at Kyiv on Wednesday evening. Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram that a residential building and an educational institution had caught fire.

RBC Ukraine quoted Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk as saying that Russia had launched an airstrike across Ukraine, shooting down all drones and two out of three missiles.