Russia’s defense ministry reported that its forces successfully neutralized a group of 20 Ukrainian drones over the annexed Crimean Peninsula. The attempted attack took place early on a Saturday morning, causing no casualties or damage.
The ministry stated that air defense systems destroyed 14 drones, while electronic warfare suppressed six others. The target of the attacks remains unclear.
Sergei Kryuchkov, an adviser to the governor of Crimea appointed by Russia, mentioned earlier that air defense systems were engaged in repelling air attacks in various parts of the peninsula. The Crimean Bridge, linking the peninsula to the Russian region of Krasnodar, experienced a temporary suspension of traffic due to the incident.
This event follows Ukraine’s ongoing use of armed drones for attacks deep within Russian and Russian-controlled areas. Ukraine seldom publicly acknowledges responsibility for such operations.
Additionally, Russian officials disclosed that Ukrainian drones attempted to attack Moscow on three consecutive days, while Russian missiles tragically killed an 8-year-old boy in Western Ukraine.
The missile strike that claimed the boy’s life hit a house in Ukraine’s Ivano-Frankivsk region, located approximately 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Polish border.
In another incident, a drone shot down near Moscow disrupted flights at two Russian airports. The Karamyshevskaya Embankment, where the drone fell, is around 5 kilometers (3 miles) from a business district in Moscow that had been targeted by drones before. Vnukovo Airport, one of Moscow’s major airports, experienced flight disruptions for the third consecutive day due to drone attacks, but flight operations resumed later.
