Mighty Drones Or Storm Shadow Missiles: Another Attack Destroyed Milit…
On the morning of July 24, Ukrainian forces launched another major attack on Crimea. Drone strikes on the peninsula have been ongoing almost daily since July 17, when Kiev struck the Crimean bridge. In recent days, the Ukrainian military managed to reach several targets, while previously Russian air defence forces had been intercepting all targets over the peninsula.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, in total 17 UAVs were intercepted over the Crimean peninsula on July 24. 14 Ukrainian UAVs were suppressed by electronic warfare means, of which 11 crashed in the Black Sea, and three more fell on the territory of the peninsula. In addition, three drones were destroyed by air defense.
Meanwhile, a large explosion thundered at another military warehouse in Crimea. The head of the Crimean Republic confirmed that an ammunition depot was struck in the Dzhankoy district. He added that the wreckage of the UAV also damaged a private house in the Kirovsky district.
Amid the ongoing strikes on Ukrainian military facilities in the southern regions, including the Schkolny airfield in the Odessa region which was often used for the attacks on the peninsula, the Ukrainian military was reportedly forced to change the areas from where the UAVs were launched last night. The drones reportedly took off from the Dolgintsevo airfield near Krivoy Rog and passed through the Mykolaiv and Odessa regions, and then headed towards Crimea. Thus, they passed up to 500 km.
While the Russian military only confirms Ukrainian UAV strikes, some Russian media claim that Kiev is attacking the peninsula with Storm Shadow missiles along with numerous UAVs aimed at distracting Russian air defence forces. This could be the reason why Ukrainian forces have began reaching Russian military facilities in Crimea in recent days.
Thus, some media claimed that on July 24, after the massive drone attack the peninsula was targeted by the Ukrainian Su-24 which fired four Storm Shadow cruise missiles. Three of them reportedly hit an ammunition depot near the village of Volnoe while the fourth missile struck a repair base near Novostepny located nearby in the Dzankoy district.
Moreover, this was reportedly the third attack on the peninsula with Storm Shadow missiles. On July 22, explosions destroyed an ammunition depot in the Krasnogvardeyski district. The local authorities then claimed that it was targeted by an UAV, while some specialists supposed that it was destroyed by the Storm Shadow missile. The first attack with foreign missiles reportedly took place several days ago near Stary Krim. However, no details of the strike were revealed. On July 22, the Russian military acknowledged that the AFU struck the Chongar Bridge located on the border of the Kherson region with Storm Shadow missile.
The reports about the use of foreign cruise missiles may explain the recent Ukrainian success, however, they are yet to be proved by any evidence or official claims. The Russian military is unlikely to acknowledge the strikes with foreign weapons on the peninsula which is considered to be part of the so-called ‘old Russia’ in order to avoid the escalation. Moscow vowed that NATO would be considered a belligerent if foreign missiles are used to strike its territories.
While the Russian military avoids unnecessary escalation against NATO, Kiev continues strikes on the peninsula in order to damage Russian military logistics, destroy ammunition warehouses, attempting to cut Crimea from the mainland both from the Krasnodar and Kherson regions. The attacks on Crimea continue amid Kiev’s preparation to the new wave of large-scaled offensive operations on the frontlines.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
- Russia Launched Retaliation Strikes On Ukrainian Ports On Danube River
- Humiliating Revenge: Kiev Again Targeted Moscow With Drones
- Ukrainian Attacks On Crimea From July 16 To July 23, 2023 (Map Update)
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