International- A Russian-installed official claimed that Ukraine launched more than 10 attack drones against Crimea.
- The Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol said air defense systems had repelled the attacks.
A Russian-installed official claimed that Ukraine launched more than ten drones attacking Crimea on Sunday.
Multiple blasts were reported to have struck the occupied Ukrainian peninsula overnight, which has been annexed by Russia since 2014, according to local reports.
The Moscow-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, accused Kyiv of being behind the attacks and claimed that air defense systems had repelled them, including three over Sevastopol – a major Russian naval port on the Black Sea.
"No objects in the city were damaged," Razvozhayev said on Telegram.
Occupation authorities claimed its air defense forces shot down Ukrainian Hrim-2 ballistic missiles.
The Russian-appointed head of Crimea, Sergey Aksyonov, shared a video appearing to show a field with a large hole in it, which he suggested was made by the downed missile.
—Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) May 6, 2023
Ukraine has not commented on the attacks.
Since last summer, Russian military bases and oil storage facilities in Crimea have been struck by a series of explosions and fires.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for all of the attacks.
On Saturday, social media images appeared to show people attempting to leave Crimea across the Kerch Bridge, which had been closed to traffic. The bridge is the only route to leave the peninsula and enter Russian territory.
—Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) May 6, 2023
The 12-mile bridge, the longest in Europe, was built after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. According to The Guardian, it was a critical route for carrying military equipment and troops to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
It was damaged by an explosion in October in mysterious circumstances but re-opened in January.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has long vowed to take back control of the peninsula along with territory occupied by Russia since it invaded last year.
The alleged attacks on Crimea occurred as air raid alerts sounded across two-thirds of Ukraine overnight into Sunday as air defense systems shot down several drones, Ukrainian officials said.