Moscow Destroys Eight Ukrainian Drones Following Deadly Strike
OSCOW: Tensions escalate as Moscow announces the destruction of eight Ukrainian drones in western Russia in response to what it claims was a terrorist attempt by Ukraine. The attempted drone attacks targeted the Russian cities of Belgorod and Kursk, and were thwarted by the Russian defense ministry, as reported on Telegram.
The Russian defense ministry stated that the Kyiv regime’s attempt to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type UAVs on Russian territory was successfully prevented. One drone was reportedly destroyed over Kursk around 8:30 p.m. (1730 GMT), while seven others were shot down over Belgorod and its surrounding region a few hours later.
Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov initially reported six drone strikes in his region, noting that, according to preliminary data, there were no reported victims. He added that operational services were working to gather more information about the consequences on the ground.
Ukraine has been launching counter-offensives since June, resulting in waves of drone attacks on Russia. While these attacks have sporadically damaged buildings, including in Moscow, Russian officials have downplayed their significance.
In a similar incident on Wednesday, Russia claimed to have downed 31 Ukrainian drones in the same region, including in Bryansk, further north.
These recent developments follow a deadly Russian strike on a Ukrainian village that claimed the lives of at least 51 people gathered for a wake. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as “absolute evil.” The village is located approximately 30 kilometers (18 miles) from the frontline town of Kupiansk, an area where Russian forces have been pushing to recapture lost territory from Ukrainian troops.
