RT reported that in the early morning of April 24 (local time), the Russian Ministry of Defense said that a large number of Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down by the Russian army overnight, in various areas of Russian territory, half of which were shot down in the Crimean peninsula.
The Russian air defense forces have destroyed and intercepted a total of 87 UAVs, of which 45 were shot down in Crimea, 10 in the Belgorod border area and 10 others in Kursk province.
Invoronezh, the number of UAVs shot down was 8, while in Bryansk, Lipetsk and Nizhny Noggorod, each region had 4 destroyed. Near the capital Moscow, two were also intercepted. However, the Russian Defense Ministry did not specify whether the airstrikes caused any damage or casualties.
The Crimea peninsula is also home to the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Squadron, RT said. The peninsula was annexed by Russia following a 2014 poll, which came shortly after a Western-backed coup in Ukraine.
Since the conflict broke out in 2022, the area has been continuously targeted by Ukrainian attacks. Moscow has accused Kiev of repeatedly targeting civil infrastructure, including the bridge connecting Crimea with Russia.
The Crimea issue is one of the focuses of negotiations to end the conflict. According to many sources, US President Donald Trump has proposed a peace plan, in which the US will recognize Crimea as part of Russia and Ukraine will be banned from joining NATO - something Moscow has long considered a major security threat.
However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has refused to discuss recognizing Crimea under Russia. The Washington Post said that Kiev's reject of this proposal has angered US officials, especially President Trump.
Mr Trump said that Mr. Zelensky's stance "seriously damaged the peace negotiation process with Russia, because the reality of Crimea was lost many years ago", and accused the Ukrainian leader of prolonging the conflict.
