Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones overnight, including two over Moscow and nine over the surrounding region, the Defense Ministry said Sunday.
Forty-six drones were shot down in the Kursk region, where Ukraine has deployed its forces in recent weeks in the largest incursion into Russian territory since World War II. Another 34 were shot down in the Bryansk region, 28 in the Voronezh region and 14 in the Belgorod region, all bordering Ukraine.
Drones were also shot down further afield in Russia, including in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow, and the Ivanovo region, northeast of the Russian capital. The Russian Defense Ministry said drones had been intercepted in more than 15 regions, while another governor said a drone had also been shot down over his region.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said debris from one of two drones shot down over the city had caused a fire at an oil refinery.
Ukrainian drone strikes have moved the conflict away from the front lines and into the heart of Russia. Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has stepped up its airstrikes on Russian soil, targeting refineries and oil terminals to slow the Kremlin’s assault.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday it had taken control of the towns of Pivnichne and Vyimka in Ukraine’s Donetsk region. The Associated Press could not independently verify the claim.
Russian forces are pushing deeper into the partially occupied eastern region, the complete conquest of which is one of the Kremlin’s main ambitions. The Russian army is closing in on Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub for Ukrainian defense in the region.
In Ukraine, during the night, eight drones were shot down out of the 11 launched by Russia, according to the Ukrainian air force.
One person was killed and four others injured in shelling overnight Thursday into Friday in the Sumy region, local officials said. Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said five people were injured in his region. Another 28 people were injured on Sunday when Russia shelled the regional capital, also called Kharkiv, Mayor Ihor Terekhov said.
Syniehubov said a shopping mall, a sports complex and residential buildings were among those damaged in Sunday’s attack.
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