In a significant development, Ukraine has launched a large-scale drone attack across the Black Sea and Crimea. This action comes in the wake of Kyiv’s claims of a successful strike on a Russian military headquarters located on the occupied Crimean peninsula.
Ukraine’s objective is to regain control of Crimea, which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014. Crimea houses numerous military installations, and these have increasingly become targets as Kyiv aims to disrupt Russian logistics and equipment.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Thursday that it had intercepted and downed 19 drones. Additionally, explosions were reported in several Crimean settlements, including Novofedorivka, Saky, Yevpatoriya, Dzhankoi, and Balaklava.
“The Kyiv regime’s attempt to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles on Russian territory has been thwarted,” stated the Defense Ministry, as reported by the state news agency Tass.
However, Russian social media channels presented a different narrative. Videos uploaded to these platforms depicted explosions and the sounds of drones striking targets.
The Baza Telegram channel, associated with Russia’s security services, reported that “at least seven drones have been shot down in just the last 20 minutes,” with witnesses describing it as one of the most substantial drone attacks they had witnessed.
In parallel, reports emerged of three drones being downed over Kursk, Belgorod, and Orlov in central and southern Russia. Belgorod, in particular, is situated just 25 miles from the front line of the Ukrainian conflict and has experienced daily air assaults this month.
This latest development follows a rare admission of responsibility by Kyiv for a significant strike on a Russian military target. On the previous day, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) informed Ukrainska Pravda that an attack on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet near Sevastopol had resulted in casualties and the destruction of military equipment.