In 2014, Moscow annexed the peninsula, which Kyiv has pledged to retake.
The Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, was the target of a significant drone attack, according to the Russian defense ministry.
Since Moscow began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv has targeted Crimea, but in recent weeks the attacks have intensified and increased.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said early on Friday its forces shot down nine drones, while 33 others “were suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed without reaching the target”.
It did not elaborate on whether there had been any damage or casualties. It added that it had also shot down a Ukraine-launched missile over the Kaluga region, which borders the Moscow region.
A number of drones were reportedly destroyed over the Khersones promontory, according to Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Sevastopol, a Crimean port city, governor appointed by Moscow. The cape is close to Sevastopol, which serves as the base for Russia’s Black Sea fleet.
Whether those drones were among the 42 listed by the defense ministry was unclear.
“All forces and services are in a state of combat readiness,” Razvozhayev declared.
The drone attack occurs two days after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated at a Kyiv conference on Crimea that the peninsula would be “de-occupied like all other parts of Ukraine that, unfortunately, are still under the occupier.” Kyiv has repeatedly stated its intention to retake Crimea.
On Thursday, Ukraine said its forces had landed on the peninsula and raised the country’s flag during a “special operation” to mark its second wartime Independence Day.
The special forces troops landed on Crimea’s western shore near the towns of Olenivka and Mayak, where they had “engaged in combat”, Ukraine’s GUR intelligence agency said.
Moscow has also accused Ukraine of attacking the Russian-built bridge that connects the peninsula to Russia and is a key supply route for the Russian military.
Due to numerous incidents, including an explosion in July, the bridge—the sole bridge over the Kerch Strait—has been closed.
Russia, which has been using Crimea as a launching pad for missiles against Ukrainian targets, has not shown any signs of giving up on the peninsula.
Moscow seized control of Crimea following a referendum it claimed demonstrated the people of Crimea, who primarily speak Russian, wanted to be a part of Russia after Russian forces seized the peninsula nine years ago.
Ukraine has dismissed the referendum as a sham, and the international community does not recognise Moscow’s jurisdiction.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
