Russia Shoots Down 41 Ukrainian Drones: Defence Ministry

Moscow: Russian air defence forces destroyed or intercepted 41 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions within a span of less than four hours on Saturday, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence.

The ministry reported that the drones were brought down between 8:00 p.m. and 11:25 p.m. Moscow time by air defence systems on alert.

Earlier, on Thursday, Russia accused Ukraine of intentionally targeting civilians in recent attacks. According to officials, seven people have been killed and over 120 injured, including 11 minors, over the past week due to shelling and drone strikes.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova cited several incidents in her Thursday briefing:

• On July 16, a woman was killed when a Ukrainian drone hit a private residence in the village of Smorodino.

• In Novostroevka-Pervaya, a UAV struck a combine harvester in a field, injuring the driver.

• In the villages of Pritsepilovka and Novaya Tavolzhanka, three people were injured in drone attacks.

Between July 17 and 22, drones targeted five passenger vehicles in the region, resulting in one death and six injuries.
On July 20, two people were injured in Shebekino due to shelling and a drone strike, while another woman was hurt in the village of Togobiyevka.
On July 22, an enemy shell completely destroyed a residential house in Ilek-Penkovka, injuring a woman and two teenagers.

Zakharova condemned the attacks, stating that Ukrainian forces continue to target unarmed civilians going about their daily lives.

With inputs from IANS