Russia claims to have shot down 42 Ukrainian drones in Crimea
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced early Friday that it had shot down 42 Ukrainian drones in Crimea, describing it as a rare large-scale attack on the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. Russian air defense also intercepted a Ukrainian missile targeting “civilian targets” in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow. Follow the latest developments hour by hour.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced early Friday that it had shot down 42 Ukrainian drones in Crimea, describing it as a rare large-scale attack on the peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014.
“Nine drones were destroyed as a result of gunfire over the territory of the Republic of Crimea. 33 drones were neutralized by electronic warfare means and crashed without reaching their target,” said the Russian Defense Ministry on Telegram.
Ramzan Kadyrov has reacted to the death of Evgeny Prigojine, the boss of Wagner killed in a plane crash in Russia. For the Chechen leader, “his death is a great loss for the entire state”. Recently, “he did not have or did not want to have an overall view of what is happening in the country,” estimated Ramzan Kadyrov, a staunch supporter of Vladimir Putin.
“I asked him to abandon his personal ambitions in favor of crucial national issues… But he was like that… with his iron character and his desire to achieve his goal here and now.”
Russian air defense shot down a Ukrainian missile targeting “civilian targets” in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, the Russian Defense Ministry announced early Friday.
An attempted attack by Kiev against “civilian targets on the territory of the Russian Federation has been foiled,” the ministry said on Telegram.
“The missile was detected and destroyed by air defense systems above the territory of the Kaluga region,” the same source added. The Russian Defense did not provide further information about the targeted locations and did not indicate if the destruction of the missile caused any damage or casualties.
Russian state news agency TASS also reported the closure of Moscow’s Vnukovo and Domodedovo international airports to air traffic early Friday, citing air services.
US President Joe Biden spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday about the US training of Ukrainian pilots on the F-16 fighter jet, which will begin in September, the White House announced.
“Presidents Biden and Zelensky discussed the start of training for Ukrainian fighter pilots and the assurance of a speedy approval for other nations to transfer their F-16s to Ukraine after training,” the US executive said in a statement.
Ukraine is not involved in the death of Evgeny Prigojine, the head of the Wagner group, said Volodymyr Zelensky.
Earlier in the morning, Zelensky greeted “the free Ukrainian people” on the occasion of Independence Day, as the country enters its 19th month of war.
With AFP and Reuters
