Russia Says It Thwarted Series of Ukrainian Drone Attacks on Crimea, Moscow

Moscow says Ukrainian forces have launched several drone attacks over the past week targeting Moscow and Crimea. After the sensitive Kertch bridge was targeted, the Kremlin denounced the strikes as “terror attacks” and vowed a response.

On Wednesday and  Thursday, Russia says it took down 15 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow and Sevastopol, a city on the Crimean Peninsula. The Kremlin noted its multi-layered air defenses were able to take out the drones with a combination of electronic and traditional air defense systems. Ukraine targeted Moscow with drones for a third straight day on Friday.

The next attack occurred on Saturday when Kyiv used 20 drones in an attack on Crimea. The same day, the Kremin says it prevented a Ukrainian rocket attack on the Kerch Bring, the roadway linking Crimea with the Russian mainland.

The Russian Foreign Ministry labeled the strike targeting the Kerch Bridge as a “terror attack. “There can be no justification for such barbaric actions and they will not go unanswered,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said. Last year, the Kremlin significantly stepped up its attack on Ukrainian infrastructure after Kyiv damaged the bridge.

Last month, a Ukrainian intelligence official said the drone attacks on Russia would “continue and increase in scale.” Russia says the US is responsible for the drone attacks. “These attacks would not be possible without the help provided to the Kyiv regime by the US and its NATO allies,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. The ministry added that the US and NATO were “training drone operators and providing the necessary intelligence to commit such crimes.”

Kyle Anzalone is the opinion editor of Antiwar.com, news editor of the Libertarian Institute, and co-host of Conflicts of Interest.