Russia says shot down eight Ukraine drones over Crimea's Sevastopol

July 16

Russia’s air defence forces and fleet in the Black Sea intercepted eight Ukrainian drones over the Crimean port of Sevastopol early on Sunday, a Moscow-installed official said.

“No objects, either in the city or in the water area were damaged,” Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, said on the Telegram messaging app.

One drone was shot down over the sea, five were intercepted by Russia’s electronic warfare forces and two water surface drones were destroyed on the outer shore, he added.

The attacks were over the harbour of Sevastopol and the city’s Balaklava and Khersones districts, Razvozhaev said earlier.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine on the attack on the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for attacks inside Russia or on Russian-controlled territory in Ukraine, but has been saying in recent months that destroying Russia’s military infrastructure helps Kyiv’s counteroffensive.