On Sunday, for the second consecutive day, Russia and Ukraine engaged in a drone battle, with both sides launching more than twelve drones towards each other’s territories. Shockingly, one of the drones seemed to have specifically aimed at a Russian military airport, while tragically, a Ukrainian civilian lost their life when debris from a drone crashed into their house near the Black Sea.
The Russian Defense Ministry has reported that more than 35 Ukrainian drones were downed during the night across three regions in southwestern Russia. This information was shared through a post on the messaging app Telegram. According to a Russian Telegram channel that is critical of the Kremlin, one of the targets included a Russian air base where bomber aircraft used in Ukraine are stationed. The channel shared brief videos showing drones flying over residential areas in what they claimed to be the town of Morozovsk in Russia. It is worth noting that Morozovsk is home to Russia’s 559th Bomber Aviation Regiment.
Vasily Golubev, the governor of Rostov province in Russia, has informed about “mass drone strikes” near Morozovsk and another town located further west. However, he did not mention the air base in his report. Golubev mentioned that the majority of the drones were successfully intercepted and there were no casualties reported. He did not provide any details regarding the extent of damage caused.
In addition to this, Ukraine’s air force announced on Sunday morning that they had successfully taken down 20 Shahed drones, which were of Iranian origin. These drones were launched overnight by Russian troops in the southern and western regions of Ukraine. Furthermore, the air force also intercepted an X-59 cruise missile that was launched from the occupied south of the country.
A tragic incident occurred in Odesa, a significant port on Ukraine’s southern Black Sea coast, where a civilian lost their life overnight. The cause of this unfortunate event was the remnants of a destroyed drone that fell on the person’s house, as reported by Ukraine’s military. These recent drone attacks have intensified in the past month, as both sides involved in the conflict strive to demonstrate that they are not at a standstill as the war approaches its two-year mark.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed that their anti-aircraft units successfully destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean Peninsula, which they annexed from Ukraine in 2014. In response, Ukraine’s air force stated that they had managed to shoot down 30 out of the 31 drones launched by Russia against 11 Ukrainian regions the previous night. Despite a counteroffensive initiated by Ukraine in June, neither side has made significant progress in gaining territory.
In a positive development, Ukraine’s foreign minister expressed his appreciation for what he referred to as a significant shift in Germany’s approach towards Kyiv’s bid for EU membership. This change in stance from Germany is welcomed by Ukraine, as it signifies a potential sea change in their efforts to join the European Union.
