Ukraine says Russian missiles destroyed in Crimea

An explosion in the north of annexed Crimea has destroyed Russian missiles being transported by rail, Ukraine’s defence ministry has said.

The Russian-installed head of the city of Dzhankoi said the area had been attacked by drones.

Ukraine announced the explosions but, as is normal, did not explicitly say it was behind the attack.

If confirmed, it would be a rare foray by Ukraine’s military into Crimea, which has been annexed since 2014.

The “mysterious” explosions destroyed Russian Kalibr-NK cruise missiles, intended for use by Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, Ukrainian defence intelligence said. Kailbr missiles have been widely used in attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure in recent months.

One unconfirmed report from a resident cited on Ukrainian TV spoke of “booms” that went on for 30 minutes, leaving part of Dzhankoi with no electricity. The blasts “continue the process of Russia’s demilitarisation and prepares the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea for de-occupation”, the defence ministry said.

Ihor Ivin, the Russia-installed administrator, said a 33-year-old man was taken to hospital for treatment for a shrapnel injury from a downed drone. He made no mention of any military targets being damaged.

Several buildings caught fire and the power grid was damaged, Mr Ivin was quoted as saying by local media.

Russia’s investigative authority said a residential building and a shop were damaged, according to initial findings. All the targets were civilian, it claimed.

Russia’s top official in occupied Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, said air defences near Dzhankoi had been activated and the situation was under control. He urged residents not to pay attention to “fakes disseminated by Ukrainian propaganda”.

Dzhankoi has been used as a rail hub between Crimea and other areas of occupied Ukraine. Russian TV reports said that Tuesday’s strike had not caused any damage to rail infrastructure.

Last August, an ammunition depot was targeted near Dzhankoi. Weeks later, Russia blamed Ukraine for carrying out a drone attack on the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol in which a warship was damaged.