Russia says it shot down three drones southwest of Moscow

Russia said on Wednesday it had shot down three Ukrainian drones in the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, at a time when drone strikes on the Russian capital have increased.

The Russian defense ministry said on the Telegram messaging platform that a Ukrainian attack with “three unmanned aerial vehicles (…) in the Kaluga region was thwarted”.around 05:00 (03:00 in Lisbon).

“All drones were detected in time and destroyed by Russian air defense systems,” the ministry said, adding that the attack caused no casualties or material damage.

Unmanned aerial vehicles were neutralized “in the south of the region” of Kaluga, local governor Vladislav Chapcha said, also on Telegram.

Drone attacks in Russian-controlled areas have increased in recent weeks, mainly targeting Moscow and the Crimean peninsula, annexed by the Russians in 2014.

This is the fifth time Russia claims to have shot down drones in the Kaluga region since the beginning of the month, with the last shot on Saturday.

In late July and early August, unmanned aerial vehicles managed to hit the Moscow business district, in the west of the Russian capital, causing damage to the facade of two office towers.

In May, two drones were shot down over the Kremlin, the seat of the Russian government.

In recent weeks, naval drones have also hit Russian ships several times, including an oil tanker.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on July 30 that the war was “gradually returning to the territory of Russia, to its symbolic centers and military bases”. “It is an inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process,” he said at the time.

Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, but Ukrainian forces launched a second counter-offensive in June after receiving new weapons from Western allies.

Kiev authorities have acknowledged that the counter-offensive has been slow and with modest results.

In addition to arms support, Western allies have issued economic sanctions against Russian interests to try to reduce Moscow’s ability to finance the war effort.

The number of victims of the conflict is unknown, but various sources, including the UN, speak of a high number.