At least 17 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched strikes on the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea, disrupting traffic and destroying an ammunition depot.
An oil refinery in Crimea caught fire after a drone attack in April (Photo: Reuters).
Pravda quoted Russian-appointed Crimean Prime Minister Sergei Aksyonov as saying that the peninsula was attacked on the night of July 23 and early in the morning of July 24. As a result of the attack, an ammunition depot and a residential building were destroyed.
The official added that part of the peninsula was badly damaged by the attack. The railway in the Dzhankoy region and the Dzhankoy-Simferopol highway are temporarily blocked “for security reasons.”
Residents living within a 5 km radius of the ammunition depot were evacuated to temporary evacuation points. There is no information about the victims of the attack at the moment.
The Russian Defense Ministry has accused Ukraine of launching at least 17 drones into Crimea, calling it a “terrorist attack.” In which 3 UAVs were shot down, 14 UAVs were suppressed by the Russian EW system (3 crashed in the Crimea, 11 fell into the Black Sea).
“There are no casualties as a result of the shelling,” the ministry said.
This is the second drone attack on Crimea in the last three days. On July 22, a drone also attacked an ammunition depot in Crimea, causing it to explode.
Russia regularly accuses Ukraine of attacking targets on the Crimean peninsula. Ukraine does not react at all to these accusations.
The most notable incident was the case of two suicide boats that crashed into the Crimean Bridge earlier this week, damaging the structure and killing two people. Moscow believes that the West is behind this Ukrainian raid.
After the incident, Russia said it had stopped the transportation of goods and military equipment across the Crimean Bridge and launched retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian port cities.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 after a controversial referendum. Moscow built the 19-kilometer Crimean Bridge, which connected the peninsula to the Russian mainland via the Kerch Strait. Crimea is considered a logistical hub that Russia uses to support troops in southern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian authorities have repeatedly vowed to regain the entire territory, including Crimea. Ukraine also considers the Crimean Bridge a legitimate target for its military to attack, as it was used for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Moscow has warned of a tough response if Kyiv strikes targets in Crimea.
In response to the shelling of the Crimean Bridge on July 17, Russia has been continuously firing rockets and drone strikes at the two Ukrainian port cities of Odessa and Nikolayev over the past week.
The UAV war between Russia and Ukraine is getting more intense. The Russian Defense Ministry said that this morning, 24/7, drones believed to be Ukrainian attacked two abandoned houses in central Moscow. These UAVs were suppressed and crashed near the headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Ukraine has not yet commented on this accusation.
Crimea annexed to Russia in 2014 (Map: Aljazeera).