Crimean President Sergei Aksyonov reported that air defense forces downed a cruise missile in the Kerch region, according to his Telegram channel. He noted there were no injuries or casualties.
Aksyonov offered no additional details about the incident. He urged everyone to remain calm and rely only on trustworthy information sources, a message issued through official channels.
Roughly half an hour after the regional head spoke, the Telegram channel Mash claimed, without citing a source, that traffic on the Crimean bridge was briefly halted in both directions. Mash attributed the pause to an attempted strike on a unit of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kerch region and also published images it described as showing the missile being engaged by air defenses.
Later, Crimea’s Transport Minister Nikolai Lukashenko announced the resumption of traffic on the Crimean bridge, without elaborating on the reasons for the temporary stoppage.
What could have hit Crimea
The Rybar Telegram channel reported that anti air defenses belonging to the Russian Armed Forces intercepted a missile north of Taman. The channel stated there was no damage or loss of life, and the debris fell into the Sea of Azov.
Rybar noted that it remained unclear what the Ukrainian forces were attempting to shoot down. The channel suggested the most likely scenario involved a modernized missile from the S-200 complex adapted for ballistic trajectories, with a range of about 400 kilometers. It added that launching a cruise missile at the maximum 300 kilometer flight distance would require a launch from near the front line.
Kerch has previously attracted Ukrainian military attention. On August 18, 2022, air defenses were active over the city, and several explosions were heard. Officials insisted there was no threat to the Crimean bridge. Dmitry Marchenko, a senior Ukrainian officer, had previously described the Kerch bridge linking Kerch to Taman as a top target for Ukrainian forces.
Air defense activity in the Rostov region
Almost simultaneously with the incident over Kerch, air defense systems in the Rostov region were active. Governor Vasily Golubev reported that a Ukrainian missile was shot down in the area between Kamensk and Donetsk, with no casualties. He noted that shrapnel damaged the roofs of several buildings, and that a damage assessment was underway. Fragments were found in multiple districts of Donetsk within the Rostov region.
Air defense activity was also reported in the Melitopol area of the Zaporozhye region. Vladimir Rogov, a public figure associated with the movement We are with Russia, said there were three explosions during the day and that air defenses had been engaged, though he offered few further details.
Since the summer, several drone and missile attacks have been reported in the Zaporozhye region and Crimea. Notably, on June 20, an unmanned aerial vehicle was neutralized with electronic warfare near northern Crimea, and another missile was intercepted over Melitopol on July 1.