Russia, Ukraine Trade Blame Over Deadly Drone Strikes
(MENAFN) Russia and Ukraine escalated their accusations on Monday over a series of deadly drone attacks that resulted in at least six fatalities.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian-installed leader of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, claimed on Telegram that several facilities in the resort town of Foros were hit by a Ukrainian drone strike. Aksyonov also said that a local school building was damaged, and fragments from downed drones sparked a fire near the resort city of Yalta.
Aksyonov reported that the attack in Foros led to the deaths of three people, with 16 others injured.
In a separate development, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that its air defense systems had intercepted 114 Ukrainian drones overnight, 10 of which were shot down over Crimea. The ministry described the attack as a “terrorist attack,” noting that the strike took place around 7:30 pm local time (1630 GMT) in a resort area it claimed had no military infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Ivan Fedorov, the governor of Zaporizhzhia, announced that three people were killed and two others wounded in a drone strike on the administrative center of the southeastern Ukrainian region.
According to Fedorov, the attack occurred at around 4:30 am local time (0130 GMT) and involved at least five aerial bombs hitting the city of Zaporizhzhia. He added that the strike damaged 15 multi-story buildings and 10 private homes. "None of the objects were related to military infrastructure. This was a targeted terror of a peaceful city and its residents," Fedorov stated on Telegram.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered condolences to the victims’ families, while confirming that search and rescue operations continued in Zaporizhzhia.
In a further development, Ukraine's Air Force reported that its defenses had downed 132 out of 141 Russian drones launched overnight, including those used in the Zaporizhzhia attack. Ukraine also claimed that aerial bomb launches were recorded near the Russian-controlled city of Tokmak.
Due to the ongoing nature of the conflict, independent verification of the events and claims remains challenging.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
