Russia destroys over 30 Ukrainian drones, defence ministry says

The Russian Defence Ministry has stated that Russian forces destroyed 38 Ukrainian drones in border regions on July 8.

“Air defence systems intercepted and destroyed three unmanned aerial vehicles [UAVs] over the Belgorod region, seven UAVs over the Kursk region, two UAVs over the Voronezh region, 21 UAVs over the Rostov region, and five UAVs over the Astrakhan region," the ministry said in a Telegram post, Caliber.Az reports citing the foreign media.

Astrakhan governor Igor Babushkin stated that Ukraine launched a "massive attempt to attack targets with drones" in the northern part of the region, which was successfully repelled.

Both sides have extensively used drones, including larger self-detonating ones with ranges of hundreds of kilometers, throughout the conflict that began in February 2022.

This year, Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russian territory, targeting energy sites that fuel Russia's military, as well as towns and villages near the border.

In response, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a major new land offensive in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region in May, aiming to create a buffer zone and push Ukrainian forces back to protect Russia's Belgorod region from shelling.

Explosions were reported in the town of Kalach-on-the-Don in Russia's southern Volgograd region, according to the Baza Telegram channel, which has sources within Russian law enforcement.

In a Telegram post, regional governor Andrei Bocharov reported that falling debris from drones destroyed by Russian air defense systems ignited fires at a power substation and an oil depot. While the fire at the substation was quickly extinguished, firefighters were still working to contain the blaze at the oil depot. Bocharov confirmed that there were no injuries from the attack and assured that there is no threat to residential buildings.

Flights at Astrakhan and Volgograd airports in Russia were restricted on July 9 following a Ukrainian drone attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The president said that the goals are “demilitarisation” and “denazification” of the neighbouring country, as well as the protection of the civilian population of Donbas from “genocide by Kyiv authorities”. After the outbreak of hostilities, the Ukrainian authorities introduced martial law throughout the country and launched a general mobilisation. The partial mobilisation was announced in Russia in September 2022.