Oil depot damaged in Russia
Moscow: Further drone attacks on Crimea foiled
September 17, 2023, 7:20 a.m
Listen to article
This audio version was artificially generated. More info | Send feedback
Explosions at Russian military bases, a destroyed shipyard, damaged ships: Ukraine has been successfully attacking Crimea for some time. It also sends drones at night, which Russia says it stops. Elsewhere, a Ukrainian drone apparently reaches its target.
According to the Defense Ministry, Russia intercepted six Ukrainian drones en route to the Crimean peninsula. Early in the morning, air defense stopped drone attacks off the western, northwestern and eastern coast of Crimea, the ministry said, according to the state agency TASS in Moscow.
In addition, a drone attack on Moscow was repelled – two Ukrainian drones were destroyed in the Istra district and the Ramenki district, it said. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote on his Telegram channel that no casualties or damage from falling debris had been reported so far. Emergency services specialists are on site. There were delays at Moscow’s three major airports because of the attacks, according to TASS.
According to the Russian authorities, a Oil depot in southwest Russia damaged by a Ukrainian. There were no casualties and all emergency systems at the facility were running, the governor of the Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, wrote on Telegram.
Ukraine recently repeatedly attacked Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014 in violation of international law. There were several serious explosions at Russian military bases. There was severe damage, deaths and injuries. On Wednesday, the Ukrainian army destroyed a dry dock in Sevastopol along with a submarine and a large landing ship.
Destruction also in Moscow
Russia had increased its anti-aircraft defense and also increased patrols in the Black Sea to repel the attacks. Drones have also damaged objects in Moscow on several occasions. However, the Ukrainian attacks are disproportionate to the heavy bombings by Russia, which began its war of aggression against Ukraine more than a year and a half ago.
During its ongoing counteroffensive, Ukraine had always emphasized that it was also about liberating the peninsula from Russian occupation. While the nuclear power Russia warned that it would defend Crimea using all the means at its disposal, Kiev is convinced that Moscow will not go as far as using nuclear weapons. In the offensive, Ukraine wants to completely liberate the areas of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, which are partly occupied by Russia.