Russia’s defense officials say missile downed over Crimea

This is reported by Ukrinform with reference to Krym.Realii.

As the Russian ministry said, the Ukrainian military allegedly launched at the peninsula an S-200 air defense missile converted into a strike variant. It has not been specified where exactly the missile was downed.

The Ukrainian military did not comment on the report.

Starting from August 2022, the sounds of explosions can be heard across Crimea, including the Russian naval base of Sevastopol, almost every day. The Russian authorities say these are the sounds of "Ukrainian drones" being shot down or Russian military conducting exercises. The Russian "head of Crimea" Sergey Aksyonov says Ukrainian drones are "the main threat" to the peninsula. In October 2022, an explosion occurred on the Crimea (Kerch Strait) Bridge.

The occupation authorities have put in place a yellow (elevated) level of terrorist alert. The Simferopol airport suspended operations.