Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Wednesday, Russia reported that its air defences intercepted at least 232 Ukrainian drones across several Russian regions, including some that were nearing Moscow, prompting a temporary shutdown of the capital’s airports to guarantee flight safety, Reuters reported.
As Russia, Ukraine, the US, and EU powers deliberate on the timeline for potentially concluding the over three-year conflict in Ukraine, drone warfare persists, and hostilities are escalating in certain front-line regions.
How close did Ukrainian drones get to Moscow?
Kermlin’s Defence Ministry reported the destruction of at least 232 Ukrainian drones, primarily in Russia’s western areas near Ukraine, with some also intercepted near the Russian capital, a city and its surrounding area home to 21 million residents.
Moscow’s Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, confirmed that three drones were intercepted while heading toward the city, leading to a temporary halt in operations at three major airports before they resumed flights.
No casualties were reported; however, Ukraine’s military claimed its drones struck the Bolkhovsky Semiconductor Devices Plant in the Oryol region, which it alleged supplied manufacturers of Russian fighter jets and missiles.
The war in Ukraine, which has left hundreds of thousands of people dead, has become a crucible of drone innovation, with both sides fielding swarms of drones far behind the front lines in an attempt to disrupt production facilities.
How is drone warfare shaping the Ukraine conflict?
Moscow and Kyiv have pursued the purchase and development of new drones, implemented innovative deployment strategies, and explored various methods for their destruction, ranging from farmers’ shotguns to electronic jamming techniques.
Soldiers have reported a visceral fear of drones, and both sides have used macabre footage of fatal strikes in their propaganda, with soldiers shown being blown apart in toilets or running from burning vehicles.
Russia’s Defence Ministry announced that its troops were making progress at vital locations along the front. Additionally, pro-Russian war bloggers reported that Russia had breached Ukrainian defences between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
What was Putin’s purpose for visiting the Kursk region?
On Tuesday, President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday visited the western Kursk region since the Russian military drove the Ukrainian army out last month. Moscow’s expulsion of Kyiv forces from the Kursk region marks the end of the largest invasion of Russian territory since World War II, eliminating a significant obstacle to a peace agreement that Moscow was hesitant to finalise with numerous enemy troops present on its land.
Following Russia’s announcement of the Kursk operation‘s conclusion, President Vladimir Putin proclaimed a unilateral three-day ceasefire to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union and its allies’ victory in World War II.
