Russian proxy claims Ukrainian missile strike on occupied Crimea

A Russian proxy claimed on April 30 that air defenses had intercepted Ukrainian missiles over the occupied Crimean cities of Dzhankoi and Simferopol overnight.

The news was corroborated by the Crimean Wind and Astra Telegram channels, which also added that the Crimean Bridge was temporarily closed as a result.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-installed proxy in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said that Ukrainian forces had used ATACMS missiles in the attack but claimed that air defenses prevented the missiles from landing. The assertion could not be independently verified.

Ukraine’s military intelligence declined to comment following a request from the Kyiv Independent, and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it could not provide any information at the time of this publication.

In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its attacks on occupied Crimea, targeting Russian military assets in and around the Black Sea.

Ukraine destroyed several units of military equipment in an attack on a Russian military airfield in Dzhankoi on April 17, Ukraine’s military intelligence reported.

Two days earlier, Ukrainian forces carried out a missile attack on a command post in Crimea where top Russian officers were deployed, a military intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent.

Update: Ukraine’s Navy confirms Russian ship Kommuna hit in Sevastopol

A missile was launched at the Russian Black Sea Fleet stationed in occupied Sevastopol on April 21, the city’s Russian-installed governor has said. A source in Ukraine’s military intelligence told the Kyiv Independent that information on the strike was still being clarified.