On Wednesday morning, Russia's Defense Ministry announced that its air defenses intercepted 10 US-supplied Ukrainian missiles targeting Crimea while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was visiting Kyiv.
The Ministry clarified that these ATACMS missiles were destroyed over the Black Sea near Crimea. Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev stated that additional Ukrainian missiles were shot down over the Black Sea and near the Belbek airbase, with fragments falling into residential areas but causing no injuries.
In other attacks, Russian air defenses also intercepted nine Ukrainian drones, two Vilha rockets, two HARM anti-radar missiles, and two Hammer guided bombs over the Belgorod region. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that two people were injured in Dubovoye when a Ukrainian rocket set their house on fire.
Moreover, Russian forces downed five Ukrainian drones over the Kursk region and three over the Bryansk region. Another Ukrainian drone was intercepted over Tatarstan, which is located more than 600 miles from the Ukrainian border. Rostov region Governor Vasily Golubev mentioned that two drones attacked a fuel depot without causing casualties or fires.
Ukraine has been carrying out a series of drone strikes on oil refineries and fuel depots across Russia, leading to substantial damage. These strikes have coincided with a renewed Russian offensive in northeastern Ukraine, marking the most significant border incursion since the full-scale invasion began. Over two days, Russian troops captured 38 to 47 square miles of territory, including at least seven largely depopulated villages, as reported by analysts tracking the conflict.
During his two-day visit, Blinken aimed to uplift Ukrainian spirits amidst the new Russian assault, reassuring them that significant American military aid, delayed due to political issues, was on its way and would make a substantial difference on the battlefield.