Ukrainian drone shot down near Moscow, six others over Crimea: Russia

Russia’s Ministry of Defence said Sunday that its forces shot down one Ukrainian drone over the outskirts of Moscow and at least six others over Crimea.

At around 1:45 am (04:15 am IST on Sunday) one drone was intercepted over Moscow's Istrinsky district, the defence ministry said in a Telegram post.

“According to preliminary data, there was no damage or casualties at the site where the debris fell," Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin wrote in a separate Telegram post.

"Emergency services specialists are working at the scene,” he added.

Around the same time, six other drones were detected and destroyed over the Crimean peninsula, the ministry said.

Five killed in Donetsk

Russia-installed government in the Donetsk region on Saturday said at least five civilians lost their lives due to intense shelling by Ukrainian forces.

The five were killed in the Kirov and Kuibyshevskyi districts and a woman was injured in Svetlodarsk, Denis Pushilin, the Russian-appointed head of the region, wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces on Saturday also said heavy fighting took place with Russian forces, as he claimed partial success in Kyiv’s campaign to reclaim land lost to Russia in the 19-month-long war.

Russia possibly stockpiling missiles

The UK’s defence ministry said on Saturday that Russia was most likely stockpiling air-launched cruise missiles ahead of winter onslaught to target Ukrainian infrastructure.

The ministry also quoted intelligence input to claim that Russia might deploy strategic bombers to fire these missiles at Ukraine from deep within Russian territory.

Watch:Russia-Ukraine War: Ukraine using custom made rocket launchers against Russia

In a post shared on X, the defence ministry said: "Open source reports suggest that since April 2023, ALCM expenditure rates have reduced, while Russian leaders have highlighted efforts to increase the rate of cruise missile production."

"Russia is therefore likely able to generate a significant stockpile of ALCMs. There is a realistic possibility Russia will again focus these weapons against Ukrainian infrastructure targets over the winter," it added.

Zelensky-Biden meet

The White House announced Friday (September 15) that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will pay his second wartime visit to Washington next week, in a bid to solidify the support of his country's crucial ally. The US has already shipped billions of dollars in aid to fight Russia.

Zelensky will travel to the White House on Thursday for talks with President Joe Biden and also hold meetings at the US Congress, where elements of the rival Republican Party are hesitant as Biden seeks to push through a major new package for Kyiv.

Disclaimer: A number of claims and counterclaims are being made on Ukraine-Russia war on the ground and online. While WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

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