Russia's Defense Ministry said on Thursday morning that it had downed dozens of Ukrainian aerial and waterborne drones targeting the annexed Crimean peninsula in an overnight attack.
"Air defense systems on duty destroyed and intercepted 33 aerial drones over... Crimea," the ministry said in a statement, adding that forces "in the Black Sea destroyed 10 naval drones that were heading towards the Crimean peninsula".
Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said earlier that loud noises heard in the Crimean port city were linked to the Russian army repelling "an attempted attack by a surface drone."
Meanwhile, two drones were downed overnight in western Russia's Bryansk region, according to the Defense Ministry. Local authorities said early Thursday that no one was injured or killed in those drone attacks.
Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian territory since the start of the year, targeting both energy sites it says are critical to supplying the Russian army, as well as towns and villages just across the border and in Crimea.
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