Russia claimed on Thursday August 3 to have shot down seven Ukrainian drones in the Kaluga region, about 180 km from Moscow. The regional governor, Vyacheslav Chapcha, clarified on Telegram that the drones had been destroyed when they tried to cross Kaluga, suggesting that this region was not their target. “These drones were shot down by anti-aircraft defense systems”, according to the same source, and the incident caused “no casualties or damage”.
This announcement comes as Ukrainian drone attacks have multiplied in recent weeks in Russian territory. They often target Moscow and the annexed peninsula of Crimea. Thursday’s incident did not cause “victims or damage”, assured the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Ukraine says it shot down about 15 drones heading for kyiv
Ukrainian air defenses shot down about 15 drones heading for kyiv overnight from Wednesday to Thursday, said Sergey Popko, head of the capital’s military administration. He clarified that they were “Shaded” explosive drones. “According to the information available at the moment, there were no casualties or damage in the capital,” he added. The air alert, the 820th in kyiv since the start of the war, lasted three hours.
Moscow regularly rains Iranian-made “Shahed” drones on Ukrainian rears. The previous night, kyiv had already claimed to have shot down more than ten drones in its skies. The falling debris caused minor material damage, but no injuries.
Hundreds of medical journals warn of ‘growing’ nuclear threat
A hundred medical journals, including the most prestigious, launched a rare joint call on August 3 to eliminate nuclear weapons. They judged the threat “significant and growing”. The call was joined by eleven leading journals, including the BMJ, The Lancet, JAMA and the New England Journal of Medicine.
The editorial comes after thinly veiled threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin over the possible use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, repeated tests of North Korean missiles and the blocking of non-proliferation initiatives. “Nuclear-weapon states must eliminate their nuclear arsenals before they eliminate us,” the reviews stress.
Two Russian regions arm self-defense “people’s militias”
The Russian regions of Kursk and Belgorod announced on August 2 that “people’s self-defense militias” would receive weapons to respond to the risk of armed incursions from Ukraine. “For several months we have been working on the issue of the supply of weapons,” Kursk region governor Roman Starovoit said on Telegram. “Today I can say that the mechanism has been found (…) The first batch has already arrived at the base. In the near future we will increase the number of weapons to 300.”
The “voluntary people’s militias”, a resurgence from the Soviet era, were formed in December to “provide additional assistance to the armed forces, National Guard, police and border guards”. Their creation comes as Russian regions bordering Ukraine, such as Kursk and Belgorod, face an uptick in drone attacks. Fighting and shelling also affected several villages near the border.
France accuses Russia of “deliberately” putting global food security at risk
France accused Russia on August 2 of “deliberately” putting world food security at risk, “by destroying essential infrastructure” for cereal exports. “She is only looking for her own interest at the expense of the most vulnerable populations,” said Anne-Claire Legendre, spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It “raises the prices of agricultural products” and tries “to prevent one of its main competitors” – namely Ukraine – from exporting its products.
This statement comes as a Russian strike on the Danube hit nearly 40,000 tonnes of grain. “The Russians hit warehouses and grain silos, damaging nearly 40,000 tons of grain expected by African countries, China and Israel,” the Ukrainian Minister of Infrastructure said on Telegram.