Russian media: Air defense working in occupied Crimea

Air defense worked in the north of Russian-occupied Crimea in the early hours of May 6, Kremlin-run news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing Russian proxy official Oleg Kryuchkov.

The advisor to the Russian-installed head of the peninsula said there were no casualties nor destruction reported and did not elaborate further.

Russian proxies' report of air defense work comes as an unofficial Telegram channel, with over 150,000 subscribers, shared anonymous messages that it says it received from Crimea residents saying that at least one blast was heard in the area of Krasnohvardiiske.

The town of Krasnohvardiiske is located in the central-northern part of Crimea. A video, also shared by the Telegram channel, shows a blast in an unidentified area full of greenery.

Explosions also rocked Crimea on the evening of May 4, according to the Krym Realii media outlet.

Mikhail Razvozhaev, the head of the illegal Russian occupation government of Sevastopol, said that Russian air defense had destroyed a drone near the Belbek military airfield, located just outside the city.

Russian proxies in Crimea also reported what they claimed was a Ukrainian drone attack on Sevastopol.

While the explosions due to what appear to be drone attacks continue to occur frequently in occupied Crimea since the summer of 2022, Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the incidents.

Russia has occupied Crimea since it annexed the peninsula in 2014 in the wake of the EuroMaidan Revolution that ousted then pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.