Russia shoots down two Ukrainian ballistic missiles over annexed Crimea

Oleg Kryuchkov, aide to the governor of Crimea, reported on Saturday that Russian air defence shot down two Ukrainian ballistic missiles Hrim-2 over the peninsula.

Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov earlier spoke of one missile that was shot down and assured that there were no casualties or damages as a result of the incident.

Local Telegram channels previously reported that explosions were being heard in Crimea.

In late March, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that Russian defence systems had for the first time successfully shot down a Hrim-2 missile.

Hrim is an operational-tactical missile system developed by Ukrainian engineers in the city of Dnipro. The project was first unveiled in 2013.

Its authors claim that Hrim boasts a range of 50 to 500 km, depending on the type of missile. This is a significant advantage compared to Ukraine’s Soviet-made Tochka-U missiles, which have a maximum range of 120 km.