Ukraine war: Russia says it intercepts 38 Ukrainian drones attacking Crimea
A series of explosions have occurred in Crimea following a reported drone attack by Ukraine on the peninsula, which was unlawfully annexed by Russia in 2014.
An online video depicts a blast believed to have occurred near a fuel depot in the southeastern city of Feodosiya.
Russian authorities have stated that 38 drones were intercepted and destroyed. Additionally, the Kerch Bridge, linking Crimea with Russia, was temporarily shut down.
The assault coincides with Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to seek increased arms supplies from its allies.
Russian forces have recently advanced in Ukraine, while Kyiv struggles to sustain its military with weaponry of Western origin. Last month, Moscow seized control of the strategic eastern town of Avdiivka.
However, according to British military intelligence, these gains have come at a significant cost. In its latest report, it noted that February marked the deadliest month for Russian forces since the start of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, with an average of 983 casualties per day.
The report estimates that Russia has likely suffered over 355,000 casualties, including killed and wounded personnel, during the conflict in Ukraine. The methodology behind this figure remains unclear, as Russia does not disclose casualty data.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently stated that Ukraine has lost 31,000 troops since February 24, 2022, and claimed that 180,000 Russian troops have been killed during the same period.
While Russia has not reported any damage from the latest attack on Crimea, witnesses have described shaking windows and activated car alarms. Kyiv has not confirmed its involvement in the incident.
On Saturday, a Russian drone struck a residential building in the Ukrainian city of Odesa, resulting in the deaths of at least 12 individuals, including five children. Sunday has been declared a day of mourning in Odesa and the surrounding area.
In a separate incident on Sunday, Russia launched an attack on the southern Kherson region, resulting in one fatality and three injuries, according to Ukrainian officials.
They also said 16 people were injured in Russian shelling of the town of Kurakhove, in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
Russian forces have launched thousands of Iranian-made drones at Ukrainian targets since they invaded the country more than two years ago.
In retaliation, Ukraine has targeted Russian sites, notably oil facilities.
On Saturday a drone struck a residential building in St Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city. About 100 people were evacuated and there were no reports of casualties.
With its airbases, troop concentrations, training grounds, and the Black Sea fleet, Crimea has been a key target for the Ukrainians.
At one point last year, it was thought that it intended to launch a full-scale attack to retake the peninsula.
In particular, Ukraine has repeatedly hit Russia’s Black Sea fleet. Satellite images last year showed many of the Crimea-based warships had left the peninsula for the Russian Black Sea port of Novorossiysk.
Last month, the Russian landing ship Caesar Kunikov was sunk off the coast of Crimea, according to Ukraine’s armed forces.
Its sister ship Novocherkassk was hit while in port in Feodosiya in December last year.
In one of the biggest strikes on the Black Sea fleet, last September Ukraine attacked naval targets and port infrastructure, using as many as 10 missiles and three unmanned boats. It caused a large fire at a Sevastopol shipyard.
Ukraine’s biggest scalp in naval warfare has so far been the sinking of Russia’s flagship Black Sea missile cruiser, the Moskva, in April 2022.
Ukraine has also targeted the Kerch Bridge several times as it is an important resupply route for Russian forces occupying parts of the country’s south.
Kyiv has repeatedly said it plans to retake Crimea and all territories seized by Russia.
Ukraine is critically dependent on weapons supplies from the US and other Western allies to keep fighting Russia – a much bigger military force with an abundance of arms and artillery.
Ukrainian troops have been running out of ammunition as supporters of former US President Donald Trump in Congress refuse to approve a $61bn (£48bn) military aid package.
