KIEV, UKRAINE (AP) – Russian-appointed authorities in Crimea said the military had repelled a Ukrainian attack on a major naval base on Monday, but said an exploding drone was spotted in a forest near Moscow. The attack is believed to leave Ukraine lacking preparations for a massive counterattack.
The Moscow-appointed head of the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvodzaev, said the military destroyed a Ukrainian drone that was trying to attack the port early in the morning and another was blown up. He said the powerful blast shattered several apartment windows, but caused no further damage.
The attack was the latest in a series of attempts to attack Sevastopol, the main naval base in Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed her in 2014.
Ukrainian officials did not immediately comment on Monday’s strike. After previous attacks on Sevastopol and elsewhere, Ukrainian officials publicly stopped acknowledging responsibility, but emphasized the country’s right to strike any target in response to Russia’s aggression.
An exploding Ukrainian drone was spotted in a forest about 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) east of the Russian capital on Monday, according to Russian reports.
He predicted that Ukraine would likely launch a counterattack in the coming weeks once the ground was dry enough to allow tanks and other heavy vehicles to move freely from the road.
Chief of Military Intelligence in Ukraine, Major General. In an interview with RBC Ukraine, Kirilo Budanov described the planned counterattack as a “pioneering battle in Ukraine’s modern history” in which the country would “retake key areas”. Everyone understands that,” he said.
Russian military bloggers have speculated that the Ukrainian counterattack could lead to a flurry of widespread drone strikes.
Russian media have identified the drone that crashed near Moscow as his UJ-22 Airborne made in Ukraine. They said it was spotted by local residents on Sunday, who reportedly crashed after running out of fuel or smashing into a tree. They said they were carrying 17 kilograms (37 pounds) of explosives.
The UJ-22 is a small reconnaissance drone capable of carrying about 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of explosives and has an autonomous flight range of up to 800 kilometers (about 500 miles).
Last month, another drone was spotted in Shecherkovo, about 15 kilometers northeast of Moscow, which authorities suspected was also from Ukraine, but did not carry explosives.
Also in March, a Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh jet-propelled drone exploded over the town of Kireyevsk in the Tula region, about 200 kilometers east of Moscow, injuring three people and leaving a large crater and several buildings were damaged.Russian Defense Ministry said the drone was shot down by anti-aircraft guns. Ukraine used Soviet-made Tu-141 drones to attack Russian installations, according to Russian officials. attacked a Russian air force base. The Russian Defense Ministry said the drone had been shot down, but admitted that some of the aircraft had been damaged by the debris and that several soldiers had died.
Authorities reported in February that a Ukrainian drone had been spotted in a forest near Guvastvo in the Kolomna region, about 80 kilometers southeast of Moscow. The drone landed near the apparent target, a large natural gas pumping station. Ukraine’s presidential office said Monday that at least four civilians have been killed and 13 wounded in the past 24 hours in recent attacks by Russia. Two people died in Bakhmut and two in the southern city of Kherson.
