Sun 06 August 2023:

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on the Ukraine-Russia conflict on the ground and online. While Independent Press takes utmost care to accurately report this developing news story, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

Early on Sunday, Ukraine reported that overnight attacks on its soil, 57 Russian missiles and drones were shot down by air defense systems.

“From the evening of August 5 to the morning of August 6, 2023, the Russian invaders launched a massive missile attack on the territory of Ukraine with air and sea-based missiles, as well as Iranian attack drones ‘Shahed-136/131’,” said a statement by the Ukrainian Air Force on Telegram.

The statement claimed that Russia used 14 Kalibr sea-based cruise missiles and three Dagger aeroballistic missiles in a first wave of attacks overnight, during which 12 of the 14 Kalibr missiles were destroyed.

“On the night of August 6, the enemy continued to attack with Shahed-136/131 UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) from the southeast, Kalibr cruise missiles from the Black Sea, and Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles from Tu-95MS strategic aircraft from the Caspian region,” the statement further said.

It claimed that all 27 “Shahed” type drones, as well as five out of six Kalibr missiles and 13 cruise missiles were destroyed, adding that Russia used a total of 70 means of air attack in several waves.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also reported that a blood transfusion center in the country’s Kharkiv region was hit by a guided Russian air bomb, where at least two were killed and four injured, according to Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synyehubov.

Drone attack on Moscow thwarted

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) sought to breach Russian air defenses and reach Moscow on Sunday, but was downed, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Sunday.

“A drone attempted to break though towards Moscow today, at around 11:00. It was destroyed by air defenses during the approach,” the mayor wrote in a brief statement on his Telegram channel, also thanking Russian military personnel for their work.

Vnukovo airport is reported to have imposed temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures.
This is probably due to a drone attack on the Moscow region.

Recall that earlier
Turkmenistan Airlines suspended flights to Moscow due to a drone attack. pic.twitter.com/MoMe8Mym0C

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 6, 2023

The mayor did not provide any further details on the incident. The type and the origin of the drone remain unclear. The UAV was destroyed to the south of the capital, in Moscow Region, the Defense Ministry said, adding that there were no casualties or damage on the ground.

The incident follows a series of drone attacks on Moscow in recent weeks, with multiple unmanned aircraft intercepted over Moscow’s financial district within a span of three days. Debris from the downed craft damaged two skyscrapers and injured one person.

Vnukovo airport suspended flights on Sunday, citing unspecified reasons outside of its control, the TASS news agency reported.

Vnukovo previously carried out similar suspensions when the Russian capital was attacked by drones last week.

Russia vows retaliation

WATCH | Ukrainian naval drone attack on Russia's Black Sea navy base at Novorossiysk

The port, which handles two per cent of the world's oil supply and also exports grain, temporarily halted civilian ship movement before resuming normal operations. pic.twitter.com/deiCp1Kg0W

— INDEPENDENT PRESS (@IpIndependent) August 4, 2023

Moscow promised retaliation Saturday after Ukrainian drones hit a Russian tanker in the Black Sea near Crimea late Friday, the second sea attack involving drones in one day.

Ukraine struck a major Russian port earlier on Friday.

Moscow strongly condemned what it sees as a Ukrainian “terrorist attack” on a civilian vessel in the Kerch Strait, said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

“There can be no justification for such barbaric actions, they will not go unanswered and their authors and perpetrators will inevitably be punished,” she wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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