Russia claims Ukraine attacks Crimea, Novorossiysk naval base
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Aug. 4 that 13 Ukrainian drones were shot down in Crimea overnight, and two unmanned surface vessels were destroyed while attacking a naval base in Russia's Novorossiysk.
According to the ministry, Ukraine launched drones against targets on the territory of the occupied peninsula. Ten were shot down by air defense and three were eliminated through electronic warfare, Russia claimed.
Moscow claimed that there were no casualties or damage due to the alleged attack.
The same night, Russia said that two unmanned surface vessels attempted to attack a Black Sea naval base in the southern city of Novorossiysk. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that both of the unmanned boats were destroyed by Russian ships guarding the base.
Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of the Krasnodar region, said there were no causalities or damages due to the attack.
Ukrainian authorities did not comment on the alleged incidents.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claims.
Recent weeks saw frequent reports of attacks against the occupied peninsula. On Aug. 1, the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea reported explosions around the major naval city of Sevastopol.
Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said that the tension between pro-Ukrainian residents of Crimea and the Russian occupation forces is rising, as the former "systematically" target Russian bases with Molotov cocktails.
The HUR also reported on the destruction of ammunition warehouses on the peninsula on July 28.
In late June, Ukraine used missiles to hit the bridges over the Chonhar Strait, connecting the peninsula to Kherson Oblast, and on July 17, the Crimean Bridge over the Kerch Strait was damaged as well.
While Kyiv does not generally claim responsibility for incidents on the occupied peninsula, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Ukraine will continue to attack targets in Crimea to reduce Russia's fighting capacity and "help save the lives of Ukrainians."
Read also: Ukraine war latest: More explosions reported in occupied Crimea
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