Ukraine attacks Crimea as US warns of crossing red line

Ukrainian drones were downed over Sevastopol, according to the governor of the city in Crimea. It comes following a report that the United States considers the peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014 a red line for Vladimir Putin.

Mikhail Razvozhayev, the internationally non-recognized governor of the port city, posted on his Telegram channel that two Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) were "shot down over the sea" and that "our defence forces continue to repel the attack", Newsweek reports.

There were also social media reports of road closures and a pause in ferry services from the city following the incident. "Several more UAVs were shot down in the airspace, above Crimea" and "everything is calm in the city," said Razvozhayev's post on Thursday morning which added, "trust only official information".

Sevastopol is the largest city in Crimea, and as a major port which is a base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, is a location of strategic significance.

In January, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated his pledge to regain the Russian-controlled peninsula, telling the World Economic Forum in Davos it was "our land, our territory."

While the US is the world's biggest donor of military equipment to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has reportedly expressed reluctance at Kyiv trying to retake the peninsula.

In a Zoom call with experts, Blinken said that such an attempt could risk a wider response from Moscow, Politico reported in an article on February 15 headlined, "Crimea a 'red line' for Putin." Concerns over whether Putin might resort to nuclear weapons have partly centred around what might happen regarding Crimea.