Two Dead in Ukrainian Missile Attack, Head of Russia-Annexed Crimea Says 

This photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, May 17, 2024, shows what it claims is destruction of a Ukrainian sea drone in the Black Sea, Crimea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, May 17, 2024, shows what it claims is destruction of a Ukrainian sea drone in the Black Sea, Crimea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
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Two Dead in Ukrainian Missile Attack, Head of Russia-Annexed Crimea Says 

This photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, May 17, 2024, shows what it claims is destruction of a Ukrainian sea drone in the Black Sea, Crimea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
This photo taken from video released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, May 17, 2024, shows what it claims is destruction of a Ukrainian sea drone in the Black Sea, Crimea. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

The head of the Russia-annexed Crimea peninsula said a Ukrainian missile attack killed two people near Simferopol, the peninsula's main administrative center.

Sergei Aksyonov, writing on Telegram, also said a Ukrainian missile had struck an empty building near Alushta on the peninsula's Black Sea coast.

Separately, the TASS news agency cited Russia's defense ministry as saying that air defenses had intercepted three ATACMS missiles over Crimea, and that the military had destroyed three Ukrainian sea drones headed toward the peninsula.

Ukraine has not issued an official comment.

Ukrainian military bloggers and unofficial media reported a number of targets had been hit throughout the peninsula.

Krymsky Veter, an online news outlet dealing with Crimea, posted a video of what it described as an explosion and fire in Alushta, and said ambulances were heading to the scene.

News outlet RBK-Ukraine reported, without citing a source, that explosions had occurred in three other centers and said targets could have included headquarters for the coastguard or intelligence centers.

Russian bloggers on the peninsula said they believed that not all incoming missiles had been intercepted.



Over 12,300 Civilians Killed since Start of Ukraine War, UN says

A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
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Over 12,300 Civilians Killed since Start of Ukraine War, UN says

A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo
A woman reacts at the site of a Russian missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in central Kyiv, Ukraine, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo

More than 12,300 civilians have been killed in the Ukraine war since Russia invaded nearly three years ago, a UN official said on Wednesday, noting higher casualties in recent months amid the use of drones, long-range missiles and glide bombs, according to Reuters.

"Russian armed forces intensified their operations to capture further territory in eastern Ukraine, with a severe impact on civilians in frontline areas, particularly in the Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions," Nada Al-Nashif, United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights said in a statement, referring to developments since September 2024.

"We are deeply concerned by the impacts on civilians of the increased use of drones and the use of new weapons," she added, referring in part to Russia's use of highly destructive guided bombs or glide bombs in residential areas.