Russian Air Defense Destroys 20 Ukraine Missiles Over Black Sea, Spy planes from NATO countries were near Crimea

The Russian air defense systems on duty destroys 17 Ukrainian missiles over the Black Sea and another three over the Crimean Peninsula, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.

"At about 17:00 Moscow time [14:00 GMT], an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using 20 aircraft guided missiles at facilities on the territory of Russia was prevented. On-duty air defense systems destroyed 17 Ukrainian missiles over the Black Sea and three more over the Crimean Peninsula," the statement said.

Fragments of the Ukrainian missiles fell on the territory of a military unit in the area from the settlement of Lyubimovka in Crimea, but there is no damage to aircraft.

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•  Spy planes from Britain, Italy and the US were plying the skies near Crimea at least 2 hours before an air attack on the peninsula, as data available from the Flightradar24.com portal indicates.

Earlier on Wednesday, Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said that air defense systems had been alerted in the city. At least one air target was destroyed. The wreckage fell on a vacant plot of land near Lyubimovka.

Two hours before the air alert a US Navy P-8A Poseidon anti-submarine aircraft, UK Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint electronic reconnaissance aircraft, and E-550A (based on Gulfstream G550) long-range radar detection aircraft of the Italian Air Force flew over Romania near the Black Sea coast. A little earlier, a US RQ-4B Global Hawk strategic reconnaissance drone was spotted in the area.

The flight paths of the drone and the Poseidon began near the US naval airbase Sigonella in Sicily. The British plane, according to Flightradar, made U-turn toward the UK. The Italian reconnaissance aircraft is believed to have flown to the Black Sea from central mainland Italy.