Russia says downed 109 Ukrainian drones

By AFP - Oct 28,2024 - Last updated at Oct 28,2024

Mykola Hrishyn, 71, removes debris from the roof so that it does not fall, on the top of a destroyed building where his apartment is located, in Kharkiv, on Saturday (AFP photo)

MOSCOW — Russia downed 109 Ukrainian drones in a day over several regions, including near the border, Moscow's defence ministry said on Monday.

A total of 45 drones were intercepted in the Briansk region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus, while 26 were destroyed to the south in Russia's Belgorod region.

Eighteen were downed in the Tambov region, about 400 kilometres from the Ukrainian border.

Five were intercepted in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops have been conducting a ground offensive since August and control several hundred square kilometres of Russian territory.

One person was lightly wounded when a drone crashed and caught fire at an industrial facility in Russia's western city of Voronezh, Governor Alexander Gusev said.

More drones were downed elsewhere in Russia, which announces almost daily that it has destroyed Ukrainian UAVs.

Kyiv says the strikes, which often target energy infrastructure, are in response to Russian bombardments of Ukrainian territory.

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