On Sunday, Ukraine initiated a significant series of drone strikes as Russia concluded its presidential election. This election is anticipated to secure President Vladimir Putin’s leadership for an additional six years.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced the interception of 35 Ukrainian drones during the night. This included four drones in the vicinity of Moscow.
Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, reported that another drone was neutralized near Domodedovo airport on Sunday morning. Thankfully, there were no injuries or damages.
The Defense Ministry also disclosed that two more drones were intercepted over the Kaluga region, just south of Moscow, and the Yaroslavl region to the northeast.
These assaults on the Yaroslavl region, situated roughly 800 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, mark some of Ukraine’s most distant strikes to date.
Additional Ukrainian drones were brought down over the Belgorod, Kursk, and Rostov regions, which are adjacent to Ukraine, as well as the southern Krasnodar region, according to the Defense Ministry.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the Governor of Belgorod, revealed that Ukrainian shelling on Sunday resulted in the tragic death of a 16-year-old girl and injured her father.
In the Krasnodar region, a drone strike ignited a fire at a refinery. The blaze was successfully extinguished a few hours later, as confirmed by regional officials. A refinery worker suffered a fatal heart attack during the incident.
Ukrainian drone strikes have consistently targeted refineries and oil terminals.
These attacks are part of a series of Ukrainian drone strikes and other assaults over recent days. President Putin described these actions as attempts by Ukraine to instill fear among residents and disrupt Russia’s presidential election.
Putin assured during a Security Council meeting on Friday that such hostile actions would not go unpunished. He expressed confidence in the unity and resilience of the Russian people in response to these challenges.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military reported the downing of 14 Russian drones over the Odesa region on Sunday. This follows a Russian ballistic missile attack on the southern port city on Friday, which resulted in the destruction of homes and the loss of at least 21 lives. A second missile targeted first responders at the scene, according to officials.
Britain’s defense ministry disclosed that Defense Secretary Grant Shapps had to cancel a planned visit to Odesa earlier this month due to a Russian missile threat. The Sunday Times reported that British intelligence had warned Shapps of Russia’s knowledge of his travel plans after his visit to Kyiv on March 7.
Russian forces also fired five S-300 anti-aircraft guided missiles at areas in the Kharkiv and Donetsk regions under Ukrainian control, as well as two X-59 guided missiles in the Chernihiv region, as stated by the Ukrainian air force.
As the conflict extends into its third year, Russian forces have achieved slow, incremental advances along the front line, leveraging their superior firepower. In response, Ukraine has intensified its drone attacks deep within Russia and conducted cross-border raids.
On Saturday, Ukrainian shelling of the Russian border city of Belgorod resulted in two fatalities and three injuries. Belgorod has been a frequent target of attacks.
The Russian military also reported foiling an attempted cross-border incursion by Ukrainian “sabotage and reconnaissance groups” on Saturday.
The Russian Volunteer Corps, comprising Russians fighting alongside Ukrainian forces, claimed on social media to have captured 25 Russian soldiers on Saturday. However, this claim has not been independently verified.
Cross-border attacks have sporadically occurred since the onset of the war, leading to various claims, counterclaims, disinformation, and propaganda efforts.
Jill Lawless, an Associated Press writer based in London, contributed to this report.