The Kremlin claimed on Thursday, August 10, to have shot down 13 Ukrainian drones, including 11 near Crimea and two heading towards Moscow. These new attacks come at a time when territories controlled by Russia are increasingly targeted.
“Two drones that were flying towards the city of Moscow were destroyed,” the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram. One of the missiles targeting the capital was shot down by Russian air defenses in the Kaluga region, south-west of Moscow, the second in the Odintsovsky district, in the Moscow region, the ministry reported, accusing Kiev for launching these devices.
Also in Crimea, “near the city of Sevastopol, two drones were hit by anti-aircraft defense devices in service, nine others were neutralized by electronic warfare means and crashed into the Black Sea before hit the target,” according to the Department of Defense. No casualties or damage were reported, either near Moscow or in Crimea, the ministry said.
Two dead in strike on Zaporizhia
Two people were killed and seven were injured on August 9 in a Russian strike on Zaporizhia, a large city in southern Ukraine, the Interior Ministry said. “Initially, the reports were of three deaths. Fortunately, one person was resuscitated,” he said on Telegram.
The previous death toll of three was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who released a video showing a damaged church, with flames and smoke in its courtyard, as well as another building on fire. “Rescuers quickly extinguished the fire,” the ministry said.
One dead in the bombing of a Russian village
A civilian was killed and four others were injured in the bombardment of the Russian village of Gorkovsky, near the border between Russia and Ukraine, the governor of the Belgorod region announced on August 9. “Gorkovsky was the target of shelling by Ukrainian forces. Five shells exploded in the center of the village, near the school,” he said on Telegram.
A man died after being struck by shrapnel. Three men and a woman, victim of a concussion, were also hospitalized. Bombings of Russian villages near the border were very rare for more than a year after the launch of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, but they have been increasing for several months, particularly in the regions of Belgorod and from Kursk.
Russia will respond “adequately” to Western threats on its borders
Threats from Western countries to Russia’s borders “require a rapid and adequate response”, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on August 9, citing support for Ukraine or Stockholm’s membership among them. and Helsinki to NATO.
During a meeting in front of senior army officials, Sergei Shoigu detailed at length the “threats to military security” from Russia, which he said “have multiplied in the western and northwestern directions. ” these last years. “These threats […] require a quick and adequate response. We will discuss the necessary measures to neutralize them during the meeting and take the appropriate decisions,” he continued in the speech.