Sergei Aksyonov, the commander of the Russian-occupied territory who was nominated by Moscow, claims that Russian air defenses shot down a missile fired from Ukraine over the Crimean port of Feodosia on the peninsula's southern shore.
As reported by the Russian official news agency RIA Novosti, an assistant to Aksyonov said that while explosion debris had landed in a residential neighborhood, no one had been hurt.
Images shared on social media depict a sizable column of white smoke rising from behind a hill, however it appears that the photographs were shot from a position that blocked the view of any impact site or locations on the ground.
Regarding a potential missile launch, the Ukrainian government has not made any comments, and Worldopress is unable to independently confirm Russian claims of an interception.
Feodosia is well outside the range of any missiles known to be in use by Ukrainian forces, whether they come from within Ukraine or as part of military aid transfers from the US and other countries. Feodosia is at least 250 kilometers (about 155 miles) away from the closest Ukrainian military positions.