The Russian-appointed governor of the Crimean city of Sevastopol said on Saturday that air defenses shot down a drone in what he believed to be the latest attempt by Ukraine to attack the port, where Russia’s Black Sea Fleet is based, Reuters reported.

Sevastopol portPhoto: Olena Korneeva / Alami / Alami / Profimedia

The governor of the Russian-backed city, Mykhailo Razvozhaev, issued a statement on the Telegram messaging service, claiming that the incident occurred in the early hours of January 7, when the Orthodox Christmas is celebrated.

There is no comment on the statement from Ukraine, which has not confirmed similar alleged incidents in the past.

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed timing the truce around Orthodox Christmas, a proposal Kyiv rejected as a cynical ploy to buy time for Russian troops to rest and regroup.

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