Russia shoots down 250 Ukrainian drones in 12 hrs: Defence Ministry
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Moscow: Russian air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 250 Ukrainian drones within a 12-hour period, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Saturday.
From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Moscow time, Russian air defence systems shot down 250 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones across 19 regions, including Moscow, according to a statement issued by the ministry.
Meanwhile, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the number of drones flying towards the Moscow region over the past week had exceeded 2,600. He said most of the drones were neutralised by air defence systems on the distant outskirts of the capital.
As many as 493 drones were destroyed while approaching Moscow, Sobyanin said, reports Xinhua news agency.
Earlier on Friday, the Russian Defence Minister said Russian forces had seized 11 settlements and carried out one massive and nine group strikes against Ukrainian military targets over the past week.
According to the ministry, the 11 settlements were located in three regions, Kharkiv, Donbas and Zaporizhzhia.
The strikes targeted Ukrainian defence enterprises, logistics hubs, energy and transport infrastructure, as well as facilities producing ground robotic systems, drones and related components, the ministry said.
It added that missile launch sites, ammunition and fuel depots, supply facilities, and temporary deployment sites of Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries were also hit.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Friday that the government had allocated 35 billion hryvnyas (about $785 million) to protect energy facilities and strengthen regional resilience ahead of winter, according to public broadcaster Suspilne.
Addressing parliament, Shmyhal said construction of around 200 second-level protective monolithic structures had already been completed.
While no defence system can provide 100 per cent protection, damage to protected facilities can be repaired within weeks, he said.
With IANS inputs