MOSCOW: Russia claimed it destroyed nearly two dozen Ukrainian drones trying to target Moscow-annexed Crimea, patrol vessels in the Black Sea, and border regions on Thursday.
Crimea has been hit by Ukraine throughout Russia’s offensive but strikes there have recently intensified as Ukraine vows to recapture the Black Sea peninsula.
Russia’s defence ministry said that at about 5:00 am (0200 GMT), the Ukrainian troops attempted to target the Black Sea Fleet patrol vessel Sergey Kotov in the Black Sea with 5 unmanned sea boats.
It added in a statement that while repelling the attack, five unmanned enemy vessels were destroyed by fire from the ship’s standard weapons, AFP reported.
Moscow previously reported attempted strikes on Sergey Kotov in July and in August.
The ministry said that at about 5:30 am on Thursday, air defence systems on duty destroyed eleven unmanned aerial boats over the Crimean peninsula.
Crimea’s annexation by Russia
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
The ministry did not say whether either strike caused any damage or casualties.
Kyiv, however, said it had destroyed an S-400 Triumph air defence missile system close to Yevpatoria, a city on the western coast of Crimea.
“On 14 September overnight, the army counter-intelligence of the security service and Ukrainian navy conducted a unique special operation close to Yevpatoria. They destroyed a Russian air defence Triumph system.
Moscow said earlier that overnight it had also destroyed several Ukrainian drones that hit its border regions of Belgorod and Bryansk, with no damage or casualties yet reported.
The defence ministry said 6 drones had been shot down in four separate places over the Bryansk region, which lies roughly halfway between Moscow and Kyiv.
Another drone was hit and destroyed further south over the Belgorod region on Wednesday evening.
Since Kyiv launched its counter-offensive in early June, Russia has weathered waves of drone strikes that have sporadically damaged buildings, including in the capital Moscow.
Russian authorities have downplayed their significance
