Russia downed 83 Ukrainian drones in overnight attack
Shafaq News/ Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that its forces had repelled a large-scale drone attack launched by Kyiv overnight, shooting down 83 drones over southwestern regions.
"A total of 37 drones were intercepted over Bryansk, 12 over Kursk, and 12 over Lipetsk," the ministry said in a statement. "Nine drones were downed in Tver, three in Belgorod, three in Kaluga, three in Smolensk, three in Voronezh, and one in Rostov."
Ukrainian forces have been targeting southwestern Russian border regions with drones and missiles on an almost daily basis. President Vladimir Putin has said such attacks underscore the need to expand Russia’s military operation in Ukraine to push Kyiv’s forces farther away from Russian territory, including newly incorporated regions.
Russia launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, citing regional ambitions and long-standing political tensions, particularly since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. Western nations have provided Ukraine with aid and imposed economic sanctions on Moscow, while Russia has framed the war as part of its broader geopolitical and economic strategy.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump revealed that he had reached an agreement with Russian Putin during a phone call to begin efforts to end the ongoing war in Ukraine immediately.
Trump stated that during the call, he told the Russian President that negotiation teams would begin their discussions right away, with Trump planning to personally call Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to inform him of the contents of his conversation with Putin.
Trump also revealed that he had instructed several of his administration's officials to lead the negotiations, expressing strong confidence in their success.
