MOSCOW, Sept 26, 2023 (BSS/AFP) - Russian air defences shot down a missile
over Crimea on Monday, said the Moscow-installed head of Sevastopol city in
the Russian-annexed Black Sea peninsula.

Ukraine has targeted Crimea throughout Russia's offensive but attacks on
military installations there have recently intensified as Kyiv vows to
recapture the peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014.

"Our military is repelling a missile attack. According to preliminary data,
air defence shot down one missile near the Belbek airfield. Work continues,"
Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on the messaging platform
Telegram.

Authorities had declared an air raid alert across the region, Razvozhayev
said at 8:57 pm (1757 GMT).

About an hour later, he announced the air raid alert was over.

On Friday, Russia's defence ministry said the historic headquarters of its
Black Sea Fleet in Crimea had been damaged in what Razvozhayev said had been
a Ukrainian missile attack.

Meanwhile Russian air defences also saw action Monday in two regions
bordering Ukraine, the defence ministry in Moscow said on Telegram.

It said seven Ukrainian drones were "destroyed" over Belgorod region.

A preliminary account suggested there were no casualties, Belgorod regional
governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram, adding that the drones were
"shot down" over Grayvoronsky district, right on the border.

Four drones were also destroyed over the neighbouring Kursk region, the
defence ministry added early Tuesday, saying the attack "was stopped".

Since Ukraine launched its counter-offensive in early June, Russia has
weathered waves of drone attacks that have sporadically damaged buildings,
including in Moscow.

Russian officials have downplayed their significance.