Russian air defenses destroy 14 Ukrainian drones over Crimea: MoD
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Russian air defenses thwart yet another drone attack on Crimea, as authorities suspend traffic on the bridge as part of precautionary measures.
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A Russian warship sails near the Crimean bridge following an attack by Ukrainian forces in Crimea, Russia, July 17, 2023 (AFP)
Russian air defense systems thwarted a Ukrainian aerial attack on Crimea composed of 20 attack drones, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Saturday morning.
"Tonight, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using twenty unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] on sites on the territory of the Crimean peninsula was thwarted," the ministry stated.
Air defense systems managed to destroy 14 UAVs while the remaining 6 were disabled by electronic jamming systems.
An advisor to Crimea governor, Oleg Kryuchov, announced on a Telegram channel that no casualties or damage resulted from the failed attack, adding that several defense systems were activated as a result of the attempted terrorist assault.
Simaoultanessouly traffic across the Crimean Bridge was halted during the duration of the attack for around two hours and was eventually resumed.
The Ukrainian army has become overreliant on the use of long-range missiles and attack drones during its floundering offensive which has failed to achieve substantial breaches into Russia's defensive positions along the frontline.
Furthermore, evidence shows that in the first two weeks of the campaign, Ukraine was losing 20% of the equipment it sent
The US claims that it has provided Ukraine with all its demands for its counteroffensive, but progress is still slower than expected and it will be even harder with the coming fall, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said on Thursday.
"In the months leading up to the counteroffensive, we fulfilled everything on the Ukrainian shopping list, everything they said they needed for the counteroffensive," Kirby told CNN.
He added, "We're continuing to do that, we're continuing to willing to continue to train Ukrainian forces but more critically, we're giving them the kinds of tools and weapons that they need to break through those [Russian lines of defense]."
The White House official noted that the Ukrainians understand that "time is not on their side," and with the fall coming, it would be harder for them to maneuver on the ground and to operate drones and air security systems.
Kirby also suggested avoiding speculation on "what success looks like" and letting Kiev determine that.
Read more: Zelensky fires all heads of military enlistment in Ukraine
