Arrays of Russian air defenses destroyed missiles and remote-controlled unmanned aerial vehicles, preventing a series of Ukrainian attacks against the Crimean peninsula and the western part of the Black Sea, the Defense Ministry announced in Moscow yesterday and overnight Friday into Saturday.

The ministry said via Telegram that Ukraine had “prevented an attempted terrorist attack” by intercepting five drones over the Black Sea yesterday around 20:00 (local time; 19:00 Greek time). He then reported that four Ukrainian guided missiles were intercepted and destroyed at 00:30 (23:30) over Crimea.

The Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, which is not recognized by the international community, is considered a key supply chain for Russian forces that hold part of southern Ukraine. It is frequently targeted by Ukrainian missiles and drones.

Last Thursday, Kiev said its air force launched a strike against a command center in Sevastopol and a military unit elsewhere in Crimea. On the same day, Moscow announced that 36 drones and 10 missiles aimed at Crimea had been shot down. Earlier yesterday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that it had detected and “destroyed” a Ukrainian Neptune missile over the Black Sea.

The new attacks are recorded against the background of the escalation of Russian strikes in Ukraine and Ukrainian strikes in Russia and occupied zones.

Authorities in Russia’s Belgorod region urged residents to evacuate their homes or reinforce their windows to protect against shrapnel.

“Starting today, we are ready to take you” to areas further from the border, “to Stara Askol and Gupkin, where you will be accommodated in very comfortable conditions, in warm and safe places. You will remain there as long as necessary,” said Belgorod governor Vychislav Gladkov via Telegram yesterday.

“I see appeals on social networking sites, they say ‘We are scared, help us get to safe locations.’ We certainly will! We have already moved families,” he added, referring to the removal of residents of small communities near the border last year.

The — unprecedented — measure for a major Russian city was announced while the Kremlin always tried to give the impression that, two years after the invasion of Ukraine, the war did not directly affect daily life or affect the security of Russians. But that image was shattered on December 30, when 25 people were killed in Belgorod in a Ukrainian shelling.

In a sign of the growing concern, authorities delayed the opening of schools in Belgorod and nearby communities until January 19, as the city remains targeted by Kiev forces.

In retaliation for the attack on Belgorod, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russian strikes in Ukraine would be “intensified”.

The municipal authorities of Kyiv have decided not to hold public and mass Epiphany celebrations today.