Russia reports shooting down 144 Ukrainian drones

The Russian military announced on Tuesday that it had destroyed 144 Ukrainian drones that were launched in nighttime attacks on areas in western Russia.

Air defenses shot down 20 of the drones over the Moscow region, where Governor Andrey Vorobyov said the drones damaged apartment buildings and houses in Lyubertsy and Ramenskoye. At least one person was killed and three others injured in the attack, Vorobyov said on Telegram.

Most of the interceptions took place over the Bryansk region along the Russian-Ukrainian border, but local authorities reported no damage or casualties after the 72 drones were shot down.

Russian air defenses also shot down Ukrainian drones over Kursk, Tula, Belgorod, Kaluga, Voronezh, Lipetsk and Oryol regions. The governors of most of these regions said on Telegram that there were no reports of casualties.

Russia’s recent airstrikes on Ukraine included the use of drones to attack the Kyiv region, which has been the target of repeated attacks this month.

Serhiy Popko, head of the Kyiv military administration, said on Telegram that there was an air raid warning for two hours on Tuesday, but that Ukrainian air defenses shot down all Russian drones aimed at the capital.

The Ukrainian Air Force said on Tuesday it had shot down 38 of the 46 drones used by Russia in night attacks.

The interceptions took place over the regions of Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Poltava, Sumy, Vinnytsia and Zaporizhia, the Air Force said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Monday it had summoned Iranian Charge d’Affaires Shahriar Amouzegar to protest against the possibility of Tehran supplying Russia with ballistic missiles.

The ministry said on Telegram that it had strongly warned Amouzegar that confirmation of missile deliveries to Russia would have “devastating and irreparable consequences” for bilateral relations.

The White House told VOA last week it was “alarmed” by unconfirmed Western news reports that an unprecedented Iranian missile delivery to Russia for use against Ukraine had recently occurred or was imminent.

USA “alarmed” over reports of Iranian missile deliveries to Russia

The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday that unnamed U.S. and European officials have determined in recent days that Iran has supplied ballistic missiles to Russia, a first in the growing military partnership between the two anti-Western allies.

The Kremlin denied the reports and Iranian officials on Monday denied supplying Russia with missiles.

Some information for this story was provided by Agence France-Presse and Reuters.

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