Russia downs eight Ukraine-launched drones over Crimea, says Russian defence ministry

(Reuters) – Russia’s air defence systems destroyed eight Ukraine-launched drones over the Black Sea near the Crimean Peninsula in the early hours of Sunday, the Russian defence ministry said.

The ministry, in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, did not immediately say if there were any damages or injuries.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about the reported attacks.

Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)