Russian officers say air protection programs have shot down two drones heading towards Moscow for the second straight day
On this photograph supplied by the Zaporizhzhia administration Press Workplace, rescuers work on the scene of a constructing broken after Russian missile strikes in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. (Zaporizhzhia administration Press Workplace through AP)
The Related Press
LONDON — Russian air protection programs on Thursday shot down two drones heading towards Moscow for the second straight day, officers stated, with the assault disrupting flights at two worldwide airports as Ukraine appeared to step up its assault on Russian soil.
One drone was downed within the Kaluga area southwest of Moscow and one other close to a serious Moscow ring street, in keeping with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and the Russian Protection Ministry, which blamed the assault on Ukraine.
No casualties or harm have been instantly reported.
Domodedovo airport, south of town, halted flights for greater than two hours and Vnukovo airport, southwest of town, stopped flights for greater than two and a half hours and redirected some incoming plane to different airports, in keeping with Russian information companies.
It wasn’t clear the place the drones have been launched, and Ukrainian officers made no instant remark. Ukraine often neither confirms nor denies such assaults.
Firing drones at Moscow after greater than 17 months of struggle has little obvious navy worth for Ukraine, however the technique has served to unsettle Russians and convey residence to them the battle’s penalties.
Russia’s Protection Ministry additionally stated it had stopped Ukrainian drone assaults in Moscow-annexed Crimea. It stated it shot down two drones close to the port metropolis of Sevastopol and electronically jammed 9 that crashed into the Black Sea.
On Wednesday, Ukrainian media reported social media blogs as saying {that a} thick plume of smoke billowed over Sevastopol, which is the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
The governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, stated the smoke got here from a “fleet coaching train” and urged native residents to not fear.
The incidents have come in opposition to the backdrop of Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive, which Ukrainian and Western officers have warned will probably be an extended slog in opposition to the Kremlin’s deeply entrenched forces.
The Pentagon is to supply Ukraine with one other $200 million in weapons and ammunition to assist maintain the counteroffensive, in keeping with U.S. officers.
Ukraine has already obtained greater than $43 billion from the U.S. since Russia invaded final yr.
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Comply with AP’s protection of the struggle in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
