Ukraine has launched a wave of new attacks against Russian-occupied Crimea using British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles and domestically produced Neptun missiles, according to a report released by the Russian Defence Ministry on Saturday.
In a statement shared on its Telegram channel, the Kremlin’s Defence Ministry claimed its air defences intercepted and destroyed eight Storm Shadow cruise missiles and three Neptun-MD guided missiles over the Black Sea between Friday night and early Saturday morning. The ministry did not provide evidence to support these claims.
The same statement reported that Ukraine had deployed 96 fixed wing drones targeting Crimea, all of which Russian forces allegedly shot down. Additionally, the Kremlin stated that 47 drones were downed over the Krasnodar region, with further drones intercepted over Rostov, Bryansk, Kursk, and Belgorod regions in south western Russia. In total, 14 naval drones launched by Ukraine were reportedly destroyed in the Black Sea, though the ministry did not disclose how many had been deployed.
Ukraine has increased its military operations across Russian-held territories and within Russia in recent months. This shift reflects Kyiv’s determination to push back against the occupying forces of the Russian dictator, who seized Crimea in 2014 in violation of international law. Despite mounting Kremlin propaganda, Ukraine has intensified its air and drone strikes on military infrastructure in the annexed peninsula, which remains a key Russian base for launching assaults on Ukrainian cities and shipping routes in the Black Sea.
Most notably, Ukraine’s Air Force recently struck the Kacha airbase, home to the Russian Black Sea Fleet, situated within Crimea. The strike, which took place on Friday, follows a broader campaign by Kyiv to degrade Russian military capabilities on the peninsula.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reiterated last month that Kyiv would not recognise the 2014 annexation of Crimea, especially amid rumours that Washington’s proposed peace plan could involve Ukraine conceding the peninsula to Moscow. President Zelenskyy firmly rejected any such outcome, insisting that all Ukrainian land must be returned.
