Russia shoots down Ukrainian missile over Crimean town

Russia's TASS news agency quoted an adviser to Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, as saying that debris had fallen in a Crimean town.

 Russian national flag flies with backdrop of the Kerch bridge after an explosion destroyed part of it, in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022 (photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)
Russian national flag flies with backdrop of the Kerch bridge after an explosion destroyed part of it, in the Kerch Strait, Crimea, October 8, 2022
(photo credit: REUTERS/STRINGER)

A missile fired from Ukrainian-held territory was shot down over the Black Sea town of Feodosia in Russian-controlled Crimea, the Moscow-installed head of Crimea's administration said on Saturday.

Russia forcibly annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 after a pro-Moscow president was toppled amid mass street protests. Kyiv has vowed to recapture the Black Sea peninsula along with all other Ukrainian territory occupied by Russian forces.

"A missile launched from Ukraine was shot down over Feodosia," Sergei Aksyonov said on Telegram, without providing any detail on the kind of projectile in question.

Unclear how Ukraine attempted such a strike

Russia's TASS news agency quoted an adviser to Aksyonov, Oleg Kryuchkov, as saying that debris had fallen in a Crimean town, but no damage or casualties had been reported.

Reuters could not immediately verify the reports and it was unclear how Ukraine could have attempted such a strike.

 Russian Navy vessels are anchored in a bay of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea May 8, 2014 (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER/FILE PHOTO)
Russian Navy vessels are anchored in a bay of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea May 8, 2014 (credit: REUTERS/STRINGER/FILE PHOTO)

Feodosia, located in the east of Crimea, is almost 300 kilometers (186 miles) from the nearest Ukrainian-held area. Kyiv, which had no immediate comment on Saturday, is not publicly known to possess missiles with that range.

Russian-installed officials in Crimea have previously accused Ukrainian forces of drone attacks, though Kyiv has typically refrained from claiming responsibility.

US-supplied HIMARS rockets used by Ukraine have a range of 80 kilometers (50 miles). Washington has promised to supply GLSDB-guided smart bombs which have a range of 150 kilometers (93 miles), but Kyiv has not yet confirmed receipt of those.