By Blake Wolf, OAN Staff
Monday, September 2, 2024 5:10 p.m.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones over the weekend, including two over Moscow and nine in the surrounding area.
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Most of the drones were shot down over Russia's key battlefield, the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have recently made major incursions that the Kremlin has sought to downplay as it continues its offensive.
Ukrainian military commander-in-chief General Oleksandr Shirsky claimed that Kiev's forces had seized about 1,300 square kilometres of land and around 100 settlements in Russia's Kursk region.
“As Russia mobilizes its forces to respond to Ukrainian aggression, it is doing its best to avoid drawing forces away from its own offensive in Donbas,” said Nigel Gould-Davies of the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “Russia now judges it can contain the threat on its own territory without compromising its most important objectives in Ukraine.”
Ukrainian drones are intent on targeting refineries and oil terminals on Russian territory in an attempt to slow Russian war efforts.
Additionally, Russian regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said 11 people were wounded in a Ukrainian missile attack on the Russian border region of Belgorod on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Russia is reportedly approaching Pokrovsk, a key logistical defense base in Ukraine.
Russia also struck Kharkiv, wounding more than 40 people, including five children, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on allies to allow Ukraine to launch Western-supplied missiles in retaliation.
The Russian-led war in Ukraine has reached a critical turning point in its two-and-a-half-year history, as Russian troops advance, closing in on key areas of Ukraine and conducting air strikes on vital Ukrainian infrastructure.
“We need to deploy all the necessary forces in the world to stop this terrorism. This does not require special forces, but enough courage from our leaders – courage to give Ukraine what it needs to defend itself,” Zelensky said.
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