Overnight missile strikes target Russian military sites in Crimea, cause significant damage
In the early hours of Friday, July 26, explosions were reported in the cities of Saky and Yevpatoria in Russian-annexed Crimea. Multiple Ukrainian and Russian media outlets, citing local residents, detailed the events. According to Telegram channel Astra, which relies on its own sources, the Saky airfield was subjected to an attack by long-range ATACMS missiles. Following the impact on an ammunition storage site, a fire broke out, injuring two Russian soldiers.
Additionally, one of the missiles struck a Russian air defense site located 5 kilometers from the village of Shelkovichnoe in the Saky district, reportedly destroying a radar station. Astra claims that Ukrainian Armed Forces launched four ATACMS missiles at Crimea, two of which were intercepted. As of the publication time, neither the Russian Ministry of Defense nor the Ukrainian General Staff had commented on the attack.
Local residents from both Saky and Yevpatoria reported a series of nighttime explosions. One Saky resident told the public broadcaster, Suspilne, that “very powerful explosions” caused windows in apartments to tremble. A resident from Yevpatoria reported hearing a series of explosions late at night, describing them as “not very powerful” and likely occurring outside the city.
The Telegram channel Crimean Wind reported that the Saky military airfield in the village of Novofedorivka was also targeted, posting a video from a subscriber. According to the channel, there were 13 loud explosions around 02:41 AM, with the sound of rockets coming from multiple directions.
A Telegram channel close to the Russian Aerospace Forces, Fighterbomber, indirectly confirmed the strike on Saki. Their message also hinted at casualties resulting from the attack: "So, did you deploy RC-135? Follow all international norms? Did it help? Exactly as I said. Eternal memory...".
This is not the first instance of such attacks; the annexed peninsula experienced similar strikes in late April, when American ATACMS missiles hit the Dzhankoi military airfield, injuring five Russian soldiers. ATACMS also targeted three anti-aircraft sites in Donsoye village and the Saky and Chornomorske districts in Crimea.
Previously, following a missile strike on Sevastopol, the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador to Moscow, Lynne Tracy, holding the U.S. responsible for the attacks in Crimea, carried out by the Ukrainian military with American ATACMS cluster munitions. Russia promised retaliatory measures.
In a related development, Russian forces attacked Ukraine overnight using drones and a ballistic missile, injuring one person and damaging infrastructure. Ukrainian air defenses managed to down 20 out of 22 drones launched from Cape Chauda in annexed Crimea and Kursk. Additionally, a ballistic missile from Russia’s Rostov region targeted the Donetsk region.