Ukraine and Russia said on Friday they had shot down an enemy drone overnight, as voting began on the first day of Russia’s presidential election and European leaders gathered in Berlin to discuss aid to Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Air Force said in a social media post that it shot down 27 Iranian drones. Five Ukrainian drones and two rockets were intercepted over Russia’s Belgorod border region and the Kaluga region southwest of the Russian capital Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Russian drones and missiles struck communications infrastructure in northeastern Ukraine on Thursday in a move that appeared to be aimed at blocking access to information, Kiev officials said.
Officials said the attack affected television and radio signals in five towns in the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
“In addition to physically destroying infrastructure, the enemy also attempted to interfere with satellite signals of Ukrainian radio stations and Ukrainian television stations,” the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection said.
The agency added that the nighttime attacks were part of Moscow’s “information warfare” to prevent Ukrainians from accessing “authentic information.”
Governor Sumy said that repair work is underway to restore television and radio signals, and mobile phone signals have also been basically restored.
The latest fighting comes as the leaders of Germany, France and Poland plan to meet in Berlin on Friday to discuss support for Ukraine as it faces reduced military supplies.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz plans to meet French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk at the so-called “Weimar Triangle” summit of the three European powers.
The violence in Ukraine and Russia also comes as Russian citizens go to the polls on Friday in national elections that will keep President Vladimir Putin in power for another six years.
AFP, Reuters and the Associated Press provided some information.
