RUSSIA REPELS DRONE BARRAGE ACROSS MULTIPLE REGIONS, INCLUDING MOSCOW

Wed 21 August 2024:

Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday that it successfully intercepted and downed 45 Ukrainian drones during an extensive overnight attack targeting several regions, including the capital, Moscow. According to the ministry, 11 drones were shot down over the Moscow region, with an additional three taken down in the neighboring Kaluga region.

The ministry further detailed that 23 drones were downed in the border region of Bryansk, six in Belgorod, and two in Kursk—areas all adjacent to Ukraine. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed there were no casualties or damage but described the assault on the capital as “one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow with drones ever.”

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Ukrainian Strikes and Russian Counterclaims Amid Intensifying Conflict

While Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on Russia’s claims, Ukraine’s General Staff reported a successful strike on an S-300 missile defense system near the city of Novoshakhtinsk in Russia’s Rostov region. Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev confirmed on Telegram that a missile was intercepted in the region, with no reported casualties or damage.

The state-run RIA news agency in Russia also reported the destruction of two drones over the Tula region, which lies just north of Moscow. Following the drone attacks, Moscow’s major airports—Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky—temporarily halted operations but resumed normal activities later on Wednesday.

Ongoing Conflict in Kursk and Eastern Ukraine

The drone assault on Moscow comes as Russia faces difficulties in dislodging Ukrainian forces from the Kursk region, following Ukraine’s surprise incursion on August 6. Ukrainian forces now claim control over 1,263 square kilometers (488 square miles) of Kursk territory, including 93 settlements. In the meantime, Ukrainian drones have also targeted an oil storage facility in Rostov, igniting a massive fire that Russian firefighters are still battling.

On the eastern front, Russian forces continue their offensive, with claims of capturing the strategically significant logistics hub of Niu-York as part of their broader goal to seize the entire Donetsk region.

No Peace Talks Until Ukraine’s Defeat, Says Former Russian President

Adding to the tensions, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy head of Russia’s Security Council, declared on Wednesday that there would be no peace talks until Ukraine is completely defeated. “The empty chatter of intermediaries that no one had appointed about the wonderful peace is over,” Medvedev stated on Telegram. “There will be no more negotiations until the complete defeat of the enemy.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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