Ukraine Destroys Russian Air Defense System Near Crimea’s Yevpatoriya

KYIV (Reuters) – Ukraine destroyed a Russian air defense system near the town of Yevpatoriya in annexed Crimea in an overnight drone and missile attack conducted by the Security Service of Ukraine and Navy on Thursday, a Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters.

Russia said its air defenses shot down 11 attack drones overnight over Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Reuters was unable to independently verify the accounts.

The Ukrainian source said drones blinded a Russian “Triumf” air defense system by attacking its radar and antenna. The Navy then fired two Ukrainian-made Neptune cruise missiles at the system’s launch complexes, the source said.

The Neptune anti-ship missile has been modified to attack ground targets, military analysts say.

The attack comes a day after Ukraine launched missiles at the Crimean port of Sevastopol, home to the Russian Navy’s Black Sea fleet, in an attack that signaled Ukraine’s growing missile capabilities.