Explosions Reported After Ukraine Executes Drone Attack on Russian Naval Base in Crimea

Explosions Reported After Ukraine Executes Drone Attack at Russian Naval Base in Crimea — A neon piece depicting Crimea, part of a broader work by Ukrainian artist Nikita Kadan, during the exhibition "The Artist as Prophet" at the Weisser Elefant gallery on July 29, 2023 in Berlin, Germany. Ukrainian drones have been allegedly launched towards the Russian-occupied port city of Sevastopol on August 25, 2023. Omer Messinger/Getty Images

Explosions were reported after a Russian base in Crimea was allegedly hit by a Ukrainian drone attack early Friday morning (August 25).

The attack was known as the largest-ever conducted on the peninsula after Russian defense officials claimed they repelled a barrage of 42 drones, nine of them they had shot down, while the remainder were "suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed without reaching the target," but fell short of identifying the targets, as well as if there were any damage or casualties.

It followed a daring Ukrainian commando raid near the towns of Olenivka and Mayak on the peninsula's western shores Thursday (August 24) while Kyiv and the rest of the country celebrated its Independence Day anniversary, the Kyiv Post reported.

Russian officials added that a separate Ukraine-launched missile was shot down over the Kaluga region, which borders Moscow itself.

Moscow-installed governor of the Crimean port city of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram that several drones were destroyed over the Khersones promontory on the outskirts of the city, which was also home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet.

"All forces and services are in a state of combat readiness," he said.

⚡️Overnight explosions were heard in Russia’s #Kaluga and Tula regions. #Moscow airports temporarily suspended operations.

The Russian Defence Ministry said an improved S-200 missile was allegedly detected and destroyed over the Kaluga region. pic.twitter.com/knMffae1w2
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) August 25, 2023

Taking Back Crimea

Officials in Kyiv have repeatedly emphasized its objective was to return Crimea to Ukrainian control, with the drone assault happening two days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the peninsula would be "de-occupied" but are taking a longer time than usual to do so.

Aside from winning its battlefield skirmishes, the Ukrainians have also been promised new military hardware after the White House confirmed US President Joe Biden and Zelensky had a conversation Thursday about Washington's plans to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16 fighter jets after Denmark and the Netherlands pledged to supply their F-16s to Kyiv.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has accused the Ukrainians of attacking the Russian-built bridge connecting Crimea with Russia on the Kerch Strait.

On the other hand, Russian forces have shown no sign of abandoning Crimea which it has been using as a platform to launch missiles on Ukrainian targets to its north, Al Jazeera reported.