Crimea Air Defenses, Russian Command Center Hit in Ukraine Strike: Kyiv

Ukraine's attack on annexed Crimea on Thursday struck Russia's air defenses and a command center, a military official said, as unconfirmed reports claimed casualties in double digits, including five top commanders.

Ukraine earlier said it had struck a Russian military command post near Sevastopol and a military unit near the city of Yevpatoria, in separate strikes on the Black Sea peninsula, which was annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014.

"Not only one command post was hit, really powerful combat work took place over the past 24 hours, including causing serious damage to the defense system on the Crimean peninsula," Ukraine military spokesperson Natalia Gumenyuk said, RBC Ukraine reported on Friday.

Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk thanked the pilots and "everyone who planned the operation for perfect combat work" in a message on Telegram.

Russia said its air defenses shot down 10 guided missiles over Crimea, and that it had prevented an attempt by Ukraine's forces to carry out a "terrorist attack." Russia's defense ministry said it also intercepted 36 Ukrainian drones over the peninsula.

Unconfirmed reports circulated on Russian Telegram channels on Friday that 23 Russian military personnel were killed in the attacks, including five high-ranking officers and at least nine special forces soldiers.

Unfounded rumors also swirled that Russia's top general, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, was killed in the attack.

Newsweek couldn't independently verify the claims and has reached out to the Russian Defense Ministry via email for comment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has pledged to recapture Crimea, and attacks on the peninsula, and Putin's prized Black Sea Fleet, have been growing in intensity in the ongoing war that began with the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, a former commander of U.S. Army Europe, told Newsweek on December 29 that Ukraine's efforts to drive the Black Sea Fleet out of Crimea and away from the western Black Sea have been "the most successful aspect of the counteroffensive," referring to Kyiv's effort since June 2023 to reclaim its occupied territories.

Russia said Friday that it thwarted another attack. Officials said its air defense systems destroyed a Ukrainian Neptune cruise missile over the northwestern part of the Black Sea.

"On January 5, 2024, at about 12:30 Moscow time, an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using the Neptune anti-ship missile against objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped," the Russian Defense Ministry said, state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported.

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