Ukraine destroys 29 Russian drones, Moscow blocks attack in border regions

2024-05-20 21:20:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ukraine's military said on Monday it had destroyed all 29 aerial drones in overnight strikes by Russia. The Ukrainian air force said Russian drones had targeted the Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa and Poltava regions. Regional officials did not report any casualties or damage.

The Russian defense ministry said it destroyed seven Ukrainian drones, including five over the Belgorod region and two over the Kursk region. Russian rocket attacks on Sunday killed at least 11 people in a crowded resort outside the city of Kharkiv.

"There have never been soldiers here," said Yaroslav Trofimko, a police inspector in the stricken resort. "It was Sunday and people had come here to rest. It is a place of rest for families, children and pregnant women, to enjoy a normal way of life".

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeated calls on Western allies to provide additional air defense systems to protect Kharkiv and other Ukrainian cities.

"The world can stop Russian terror. The lack of political will among the leaders must be overcome to achieve this," said Mr. Zelenskyy on social media.

He said that "two Patriot missile defense systems could make a fundamental difference for Kharkiv," while adding that air defense systems for other cities and support for frontline soldiers would ensure Russia's defeat.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military bombed two towns in Russia's southern Belgorod region on Sunday, injuring at least 13 people, including three children, and damaging residential areas, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on the Telegram network. Several residential buildings were damaged, Mr. Gladkov said.

The Ukrainian army has launched frequent attacks on towns and villages in the Russian border regions.

Russia said on Sunday that Ukraine attacked Russian regions with 62 drones, causing the Slavyansk oil refinery in Russia's southern Krasnodar region to halt operations, the Interfax news agency reported.

A Ukrainian intelligence source told the Reuters news agency in Kiev that Ukraine's security service, the SBU, and military drones struck the refinery in Slavyansk and a military airport in the Krasnodar region.

The Ukrainian Navy also said it had destroyed the Russian Black Sea Fleet minesweeper 'Project 266M Kovrovets'.

Russia said its forces defeated two Ukrainian mechanized brigades, the 24th and 42nd, as well as the 125th Air Defense Brigade in Lukiantsi, Vesele and Radhospne in the Kharkiv region, and repelled attacks by Kiev forces at other points in that area.

Russia accused Ukrainian forces of using American, French and Ukrainian missiles against the territory controlled by Russia./ VOA