KIEV, Ukraine (AP) – Russian air defenses shot down more than 100 Ukrainian drones over western Russia on Sunday, and 17 people were injured in a ballistic missile attack in the Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rikh, Moscow officials said. announced.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that 110 drones were destroyed in a nighttime barrage of seven Russian regions. Many targeted the Russian border region of Kursk, where 43 drones were reportedly shot down.
Footage on social media showed air defense operations taking place over the city of Dzerzhinsk in the Nizhny Novgorod region, near a factory that makes explosives.
Local governor Gleb Nikitin wrote on social media on Sunday that four firefighters were injured in repelling a drone attack over Dzerzhinsk's industrial area, but gave no further details.
Two and a half years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, such large-scale airstrikes over Russia are still relatively rare.
A similar attack occurred at the end of September, with the Russian Ministry of Defense reporting that 125 drones were destroyed in seven regions.
Meanwhile, two Russian ballistic missiles struck in Kryvy Ryv, Ukraine, injuring 17 people, officials said Sunday.
Local government chief Oleksandr Virkul said homes and businesses were damaged in the attack late Saturday night.
The Ukrainian Air Force announced that Russia launched a total of 49 drones and two Iskander-M ballistic missiles during the night. The report said 31 of the drones were shot down in 12 regions, including the Ukrainian capital Kiev, and another 13 disappeared from radar, suggesting they were destroyed by electronic defenses.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a statement on social media that Russia had launched around 800 guided airstrikes and more than 500 attack drones over Ukraine in the past week alone.
“Russia attacks our cities and communities every day. This is deliberate terrorism against our people by our enemies,” he said, reiterating his call for continued air support from allies.
“United in defense, the world can stand up to this targeted terrorism.”
