Ukraine and Russia report downing drones in nighttime attacks

The Ukrainian military said on Thursday it had shot down all 13 drones launched by Russia in nighttime attacks, while the Russian military reported destroying 20 Ukrainian drones.

The Ukrainian Air Force said its air defense systems are in operation in the Dnepropetrovsk, Ivano-Frankivsk, Kherson, Khmelnytsky, Poltava, Ternopil and Vinnitsa regions Intercepted the drone.

Serhiy Lysak, the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, reported that two houses in Telegram were damaged but there were no casualties.

Ivano-Frankivsk Region Governor Svitlana Onyshchuk said on Telegram that debris from the downed drone had started several fires.

Most of Ukraine’s air strikes have focused on the Belgorod region along the border between the two countries.

Russia destroyed 16 drones and two missiles over Belgorod, the Defense Ministry said, and local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported damage to a house in the area , one person was injured.

Russian air defense systems also shot down three drones over the Rostov region and one over Voronezh, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said falling debris damaged an industrial building and injured one person.

G7 meeting

Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven major industrial nations are due to discuss Russia’s war on Ukraine at a meeting in Italy on Thursday, with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba also expected to take part.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg will participate in one of the meetings focused on support for Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have repeatedly urged allies to provide more military support, especially air defense systems, to defend against Russian drone and missile attacks.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken will also raise U.S. concerns about China’s support for Russia’s defense industry, the State Department said.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on Tuesday that over the past few months, the United States has observed the transfer of supplies from China to Russia, which is using the supplies to rebuild its defense industrial base and produce the weapons that will appear on the battlefield in Ukraine. .

Information for this report was obtained in part from The Associated Press, AFP and Reuters.