(Reuters) – Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency stated on Friday that a Russian military base in annexed Crimea had been targeted by a drone attack from Ukraine, resulting in casualties, explosions, and the closure of a road.
In the early hours of Friday, Russia claimed that one of the most substantial coordinated air raids by Ukraine had taken place over Russian-controlled territory. They also claimed that their air defense systems had successfully intercepted and downed all 42 drones that were targeting Crimea.
According to Ukrainian intelligence officials, the attack was aimed at the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade of Russia, which is located in Perevalnoye, a town more than 200 kilometers away from Ukraine-controlled territory.
“We confirm that there was a hit,” said GUR spokesman Andriy Yusov, as reported by Ukrainian media outlet Liga.Net.
Since Moscow annexed Crimea in 2014, declaring it as Russian territory, the United States has expressed support for Ukrainian strikes on Russian military targets in the demilitarized Black Sea peninsula.
“People, both in mainland Ukraine and Crimea, need to remember and believe that our victory and their liberation are not far away,” commented Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov on Friday’s drone attack.
Residents of Perevalnoye, communicating through the Telegram messaging app, reported hearing explosions from the military base and mentioned casualties.
Reuters could not independently verify these reports.
“Two people died on a firing range, and one person in critical condition was transported to a hospital. This information comes from above, from the firing range,” said a user named Abdul Has, whose profile picture depicted a man in camouflage uniform.
Another user, Vlad the Local, reported that approximately one person had died.
“Why was the entrance to the military town closed?” inquired user Julia Julia.
Another resident with the username Lis urged others not to share information.
“Residents of Perevalnoye, I strongly advise against discussing here what happened and how. By doing so, we inadvertently assist them in directing future fire,” wrote Lis.
(Reporting by Maria Tsvetkova in New York; Editing by William Mallard)
Credit: The Star : News Feed
