Explosions were reported in the occupied Crimean Peninsula late on January 4 after Ukraine said that it hit a Russian military command post near Sevastopol and a military unit near the city of Yevpatoria in separate strikes on the peninsula.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk thanked the pilots and “everyone who planned the operation for perfect combat work," in a message posted on Telegram.
He also published a screenshot of a social media post showing smoke rising from an explosion near an area identified as Sevastopol.
The second round of explosions were heard near Sevastopol and the Kerch Strait. The Crimean Bridge, which Russia built after it annexed Crimea and which Ukraine has targeted multiple times since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, is reportedly closed.
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The Russian Defense Ministry said that its forces had foiled a Ukrainian attack, but it did not comment directly on the explosions in Yevpatoria. It said in a statement later in the day that its air-defense units had downed a total of 36 Ukrainian drones over Crimea.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Russia-installed governor of Sevastopol, said 10 Ukrainian missiles “were destroyed over the Crimean Peninsula by regular air defense means.”
Razyozhayev also said one person was injured as debris struck houses and fell into the streets. Rescue services were at the scene, he said, urging residents to remain calm.
It was not possible to verify the claims made by either side, but a correspondent with RFE/RL reported that about 10 explosions were heard in Sevastopol around 5:15 p.m. local time. Rocket launches were heard before the explosions, the correspondent reported.
Kyiv seeks to reclaim Crimea, which Russia seized and illegally annexed in 2014. It has staged a string of damaging attacks on the peninsula during the war, including on warships, the headquarters of Russia's Black Sea Fleet, and the bridge that connects the peninsula to southern Russia.
The attack on Crimea comes after an intensification of Russian missile and drone strikes on Ukraine. Russian hypersonic and other missile attacks combined with drone strikes blanketed Ukraine on December 29 and again on January 2, killing more than 40 people and injuring dozens more. Ukraine hit back with attacks in southern Russia on December 30. Authorities in the Belgorod region said 25 people were killed.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters at the White House on January 4 that recently declassified intelligence found that North Korea has provided Russia with ballistic missile launchers and several ballistic missiles.
Russian forces fired at least one of those missiles into Ukraine on December 30, and it landed in an open field in the Zaporizhzhya region, Kirby said. Russia also launched multiple North Korean ballistic missiles on January 2 as part of an overnight attack, he added.
Kirby also said Russia is seeking close-range ballistic missiles from Iran. A deal has not been completed, but the United States is concerned that negotiations "are actively advancing.”
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With Russia ramping up its missile and drone attacks, Ukraine has pleaded with its Western allies to keep supplying it with air defense weapons.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on January 3 expressed confidence that Ukraine will continue to receive the international aid it needs.
"Ukraine will always fight with the resources given to it. And...what is given to Ukraine is not charity. It's an investment in the protection of NATO and in the protection of the prosperity of the American people."
The remarks coincided with a warning by the commander of Ukrainian joint forces. Serhiy Nayev said after the recent massive Russian bombardments that his country will soon struggle to withstand such attacks with its present supply of air-defense ammunition.
"The current situation with man-portable air defense systems for mobile air-defense groups is that there is enough ammunition to withstand the next few powerful attacks," Nayev said.
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U.S. President Joe Biden has proposed a national security spending bill that includes $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, but it has been blocked by Republican lawmakers who insist Biden and his fellow Democrats in Congress address U.S. border security.
“If President Biden wants a supplemental spending bill focused on national security, it better begin with defending America’s national security," House Speaker Mike Johnson (Republican-Louisiana) said on January 3. “We want to get the border closed and secured first."
Biden has expressed a willingness to make compromises on immigration policy and border protection as he prepares to ramp up his campaign for reelection.