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They fly over the Crimean peninsula under cover of darkness, then an explosion lights up the night sky in the town of Dzhankoy.
Apparently Ukrainian drones were chasing an obvious target during a night attack. What’s behind the aerial attack? Blick answers the most important questions.
What happened?
Crimea chief Sergey Aksyonov (60) announced on Monday that a 33-year-old man in Dzhankoy was injured and taken to hospital. Homes and a grocery store were damaged by fallen debris. Dzhankoy’s head of administration, Igor Ivin, said a fire broke out in the store. The electrical wiring was also damaged. Iwin told a regional TV station that the power lines would be repaired first and then the repair work on the houses. A school dormitory would have been hit.
What does Ukraine say?
In Kiev, military intelligence said the attack was aimed at transporting missiles on railway lines. Kalibr hypersonic missiles would have been destroyed. The damage range of the missiles is over 2500 kilometers against land targets and 375 kilometers against sea targets. The attack will continue the process of “Russia’s demilitarization” and prepare Crimea for “liberation from Russian occupation”.
What does Russia say?
There was no confirmation from the Russian side that any missiles had been destroyed. Crimean Prime Minister Aksyonov’s adviser Oleg Kryuchkov reported that the drones were targeting civilian installations because there were no military ones in the vicinity. Explosives and shrapnel would have been attached to any flying object. “They wanted to take revenge on Crimea for their decision,” writes Kryuchkov, referring to Russia’s March 2014 referendum on the status of Crimea. “It is particularly cynical to try and hit civilian targets and draw memes on the drones shot down by anti-aircraft fire,” he added. Images on social media show grinning faces on the remains of the drone.
What is known about the drones?
These may be newly developed kamikaze drones from the Ukrainian weapons company Ukroboronprom. They would have a range of 1,000 kilometers and could be equipped with a 75-kilogram warhead, Ukrinform news agency reported last year. According to the arms company, the first tests were successful last year. It has not been officially confirmed whether new types of drones were actually used in the attack.
The Ukrainian army repeatedly uses drone strikes to shock the Russians. On March 1, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced that a “massive drone strike” in Crimea had been repelled. Six drones were shot down and four others were “incapacitated” by electronic means.
Why was Dzhankoy attacked?
Dzhankoy is an important railway junction and of central importance to the Russians. From there, all war material for the western war front is distributed. According to military economist Marcus Keupp, the aim of the Ukrainian attack was “to reduce the logistics of entering and leaving Crimea,” he writes on Twitter. There is also a Russian air base nearby.
Was this the first attack on Crimea?
No, Crimea has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian attacks in the past. In August 2022, there had already been a major explosion at an ammunition depot in Dschankoy. Then there were injuries. In addition, thousands of people had to be brought to safety and train traffic had to be temporarily halted in the middle of the tourist season.
In the same month, Sevastopol was attacked. Components of a kamikaze drone had hit the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. As the “Tagesspiegel” reports, a Chinese Mugin-5 drone – armed with explosives – is said to have been used at the time.
In October 2022, the bridge connecting Crimea to mainland Russia went up in flames – on the morning after the 70th birthday of warlord Vladimir Putin (70). “The bridge burns beautifully at dawn,” the Ukrainian domestic secret service responded to the events – indirectly confirming that the country is responsible for the incident.
Ukrainian drones have also caused fear and terror on Russian soil. At the end of last year, for example, soldiers were killed and long-range bombers were damaged in attacks on airfields in Djagilevo, Kursk and Engels.
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
