2024-04-22 04:24:32
Kyiv: Russia said on Saturday that 50 drones launched by Ukraine to target its energy infrastructure were destroyed by Russian air forces. Russia’s Defense Ministry said 26 of these drones were destroyed in the western Belgorod region, near the border with Ukraine. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on social media that two people were killed in the late-night bombing. He said that a pregnant woman and her child were killed in the attack early Saturday also.
A number of drones were destroyed in the Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Smolensk, Ryazan, Kaluga regions in the west and south of Russia, as well as in the Moscow region. Russia’s Defense Ministry said that military forces have shot down Ukraine’s Sukhoi Su-25 fighter plane. The ministry did not provide any further details. These claims have not been independently verified.
Ukrainian officials generally refuse to comment about attacks in Russia. However, it appears that several drones were launched to target Russia’s energy infrastructure. In recent months, Russia’s refineries and oil terminals have become the primary targets of Ukrainian drone attacks. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia attacked Ukraine with seven missiles overnight. Ukrainian defense forces destroyed two missiles and three reconnaissance drones, the Air Force said.
Oleh Kiper, governor of Ukraine’s Odessa region, said the ballistic missile attack caused damage to infrastructure. However he did not give further details. Oleh Sinylyubov, the governor of Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, said two people, including an 81-year-old man, were killed in the city of Vovchansk after Russian military forces shelled them.
Russia also said Russell Bentley, 64, a US citizen who fought with Kremlin-backed separatists in Ukraine between 2014 and 2017, died in the Russian-held Donetsk region. Bentley has not been involved in military operations in recent times and previously worked for the state-owned Russian news agency Sputnik. The cause of Bentley’s death has not been released, but local police had previously said he had been missing since April 8.