Russian air defence downs nine Ukrainian drones over Rostov, Belgorod regions

Russian Armed Forces' air defence systems destroyed nine Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight in the skies above the Rostov and Belgorod regions.

According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, there were no casualties reported from the airstrike, and no damage to infrastructure was recorded in the region, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

"Air defence on duty shot down nine Ukrainian drones: six UAVs over the Rostov region and three over the Belgorod region," the Ministry said.

Note that, in Rostov, debris from one of the downed drones caused a grass fire in a field.

Firefighters swiftly arrived at the scene and extinguished the blaze.

As the war enters its 945th day Ukraine’s military reported that Russian forces launched a sustained attack overnight, firing 78 drones and six missiles across multiple regions. Air defence systems successfully intercepted 66 drones and four missiles. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal confirmed that the assault primarily targeted Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Casualties from the attacks include one fatality in a missile strike on Odesa’s Black Sea port, and ten injuries from a guided-bomb attack in Zaporizhzhia. Additionally, one person was killed and another injured due to relentless shelling of a village near the Ukrainian-held city of Kherson, according to Regional Governor Vyacheslav Prokudin.

In northeastern Kharkiv, officials reported that rescuers are searching for potential victims following a fire caused by a Russian rocket attack, which engulfed six homes.

Russia’s Defence Ministry has announced the capture of Ukrainsk in the eastern Donetsk region, a town that previously had a population of over 10,000 before the conflict escalated.