Russian cruise missiles destroyed in Crimea blast, Ukraine says
GuardianMar 21, 2023
Overnight on Monday, a drone attack on Crimea struck the city of Dzhankoi in the north of the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. While Ukraine hasn't claimed responsibility, its defense ministry alleged that Russian Kalibr missiles intended for its Black Sea Fleet were destroyed as they were being transported by rail.
Russian media denied the presence of military targets near the strike and said only civilian infrastructure was damaged — including a shop, a house, and a school dormitory. Local officials said one civilian was injured and alleged that the drones were packed with shrapnel. Neither the Ukrainian nor Russian account could be independently confirmed.
The attack on Crimea — illegally annexed by Russia in 2014 — not only struck a legitimate military target, destroying cruise missiles to be used by Russia in its illegal invasion of Ukraine, but it also served another blow to Putin and exposed major weaknesses in Moscow's defense systems.
Russia's air defense was able to successfully counter Ukraine's attack on Crimea, which hit civilian targets only — damaging a shop, a house, and part of a school. The people of Crimea overwhelmingly voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation in 2014, and these types of assaults can't be tolerated.
There's a 2% chance that Ukraine will officially recognize a former Ukrainian territory (Luhansk, Donetsk or Crimea) as independent before 2024, according to the Metaculus prediction community.