Ukraine's Recent Crimea Attacks 'Degraded' Russia's Air Defenses: UK

Ukraine's attacks on Russian positions in Crimea last week "highly likely degraded" Russia's air defenses in the region, according to a Tuesday intelligence update from the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defense (MoD).

On Thursday, a Ukrainian military official said the country's forces had attacked Russia's air defenses and a command center in Crimea, a peninsula that was once part of Ukraine before it was invaded and annexed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2014. The strikes resulted in unconfirmed reports of casualties in double digits, including five top commanders.

In its assessment, the British MoD said Thursday's attacks "highly likely degraded the awareness and coverage of Russian air defenses over the Crimean region."

"This once again demonstrates the ineffectiveness of Russian air defenses in protecting key locations, despite their enhanced preparedness," the MoD added.

Newsweek reached out to the Russian Ministry of Defense via email on Tuesday for comment.

According to RBC Ukraine, Ukraine military spokesperson Natalia Gumenyuk said last week's attacks hit a command post and caused "serious damage to the defense system on the Crimean peninsula."

Moscow has downplayed reports of Ukraine's success. The Russian defense ministry claimed its air defenses had shot down 10 guided missiles over the peninsula while also intercepting 36 Ukrainian drones.

The British MoD noted Russia responded to the assault on Crimea by launching "a number of missile attacks across Ukraine" on Monday. Among the cities targeted by Russia's missiles were Kryvyi Rih and Zaporizhzhia.

"The scale of the Russian response is likely indicative of the level of success achieved by the Ukrainian armed forces' actions" during Thursday's strikes, according to the MoD.

Ukraine has carried out multiple high-profile attacks on Russian positions in Crimea during the course of the war launched by Putin in February 2022. Last month, a successful strike against the Russian Black Sea Fleet at the Crimean port of Feodosia saw the destruction of the Ropucha-class Novocherkassk large landing ship.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that one of his desired goals for the war is to see his country reclaim control of Crimea. He told The Economist in an interview published on January 1 that the battle for the peninsula and the Black Sea will be the epicenter of the conflict in the coming year.

"The goal is to save and have more successful steps in the Black Sea, to continue success on Crimea in the south and to defend the east, to save Kharkiv," Zelensky said.