"Air defence forces shot down a ballistic missile over the Republic of Crimea. The missile was launched with Ukraine's Grim-2 system. There was no damage or casualties," the Moscow-appointed governor of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov said on social media.

His advisor Oleg Kryuchkov later said two such missiles were shot down, Russian news agencies reported.

AFP was unable to verify the claims.

State-run agency TASS said this was the second official confirmation of a Grim missile being neutralised over Crimea, after a first reported case in April.

Russia has in recent weeks seen an uptick in drone incursions and train sabotage, which experts suggest are part of Ukraine's preparations for an expected spring offensive.

Moscow has denounced Ukrainian "sabotage" of an "unprecedented momentum", but Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for any of the incidents.