Moscow announced on Friday that its military had foiled a Ukrainian plot to use 42 drones to strike Russia-annexed Crimea overnight.
On Telegram, Russia’s defence ministry reported, “Nine UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were destroyed… over the territory of the Republic of Crimea. 33 UAVs were suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed without reaching the target”.
The ministry did not specify whether any damage or casualties had occurred.
Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, has been attacked by Kyiv throughout Moscow’s Ukraine offensive but has been subjected to more intensive, intensified attacks in recent weeks.
Kyiv has stated repeatedly that it intends to retake Crimea.
Ukraine said on Thursday that its forces flew the country’s flag in Russian-annexed Crimea during a special operation to commemorate its second wartime Independence Day.
Kyiv announced on Wednesday that it had damaged a sophisticated Russian S-400 anti-aircraft system in the area, inflicting a painful blow on enemy air defences.
Moscow has also accused Ukraine of attempting to destroy the Russian-built Crimean Bridge that connects the peninsula to Russia.
The bridge has been closed owing to a number of mishaps, including a major explosion last October.
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