Russia thwarts massive Ukrainian drone attacks

Moscow, Sep 1: Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region, the Defence Ministry said Sunday.
Forty-six of the drones were over the Kursk region, where Ukraine has sent its forces in recent weeks in the largest incursion on Russian soil since World War II. A further 34 were shot over the Bryansk region, 28 over the Voronezh region, and 14 over the Belgorod region – all of which border Ukraine. Drones were also shot down deeper into Russia, including one each in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, and the Ivanovo region, northeast of the Russian capital. Russia’s Defence Ministry said drones were intercepted over 15 regions, while one other governor said a drone was shot down over his region, too.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that falling debris from one of the two drones shot down over the city caused a fire at an oil refinery.
Ukrainian drone strikes have brought the fight far from the front line into the heart of Russia. Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has stepped up aerial assaults on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals to slow down the Kremlin’s assault.
Also in Russia, regional Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov said nine people were wounded in Ukrainian aerial missile attacks in the Russian border region of Belgorod on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defence Ministry said Sunday it had taken control of the towns of Pivnichne and Vyimka, in Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
At least three people were killed and nine wounded on Sunday in Russian shelling in the town of Kurakhove, some 33 kilometres south of Pokrovsk, Donetsk regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said.
One person was killed and four wounded in shelling overnight in the Sumy region, local officials said, while Kharkiv Gov. Oleh Syniehubov said five people were wounded in his region. On Sunday, 41 more were wounded when Russia shelled the regional capital, also called Kharkiv, he said. (AP)