Russia-Ukraine war: Crimea drone attack thwarted, Russia says

Sunday, 7 May 2023 (17:46 IST)
The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said Sunday that a series of Ukrainian drone strikes had been repelled overnight.
 
"Anti-aircraft defense and electronic warfare units repelled a new attack" on the city, he said.
 
Razvozhayev claimed in a message on Telegram that Ukraine launched more than 10 drones at the city. He said that two were shot down over the sea and another fell into a forest after losing control.
 
"No infrastructure in the city was damaged," Razvozhayev said.
 
Sevastopol is the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea fleet and is an important staging point for the Russian naval forces.
 
It is situated on the Crimean Peninsula which was annexed by Russia in 2014.
 
Earlier this week, Russian authorities claimed to have thwarted drone attacks purportedly targeting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
 
Kyiv denied Russia's accusations, with a senior adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying that the claims indicated Moscow was preparing a major "terrorist provocation."
 
Here are some of the other notable developments concerning the war in Ukraine on Sunday, May 7:
 
Evacuations at Zaporizhzhia have IAEA concerned
 
The head of the UN nuclear power watchdog has expressed concern over the announced evacuations of residents from the nearby town of Enerhodar, close to the Zaporizhzhia facility. 
 
"The general situation in the area near the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is becoming increasingly unpredictable and potentially dangerous," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said in a statement.
 
"I'm extremely concerned about the very real nuclear safety and security risks facing the plant," Grossi said, stressing that immediate action was needed to "prevent the threat of a severe nuclear accident."
 
The Russian-installed governor of the Moscow-controlled part of Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region said on Friday that he had ordered the evacuation of villages close to the front line as shelling had intensified in the area in recent days.
 
Wagner chief says Moscow has 'promised' more ammunition
 
The head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said the Russian army had promised more ammunition following a threat he made on Friday to withdraw his forces from Bakhmut due to a lack of support from Moscow.
 
"They promised to give us all the ammunition and armaments we need to continue the operations," said Prigozhin, after he earlier criticized Russia's handling of the battle in Bakhmut in a series of angry video messages. 
 
The town has been the scene of a monthslong bloody battle of attrition with Ukrainian forces.
 
Prigozhin had threatened to "pull out Wagner units from Bakhmut because in the absence of ammunition they are facing a senseless death."
 
May 10 was announced as the date on which Wagner forces would be withdrawn from the battlefield.

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