Russia claims 11 Ukrainian drones downed near Crimea, two more heading towards Moscow shot

Russia's defence ministry on Thursday (August 10) said that 11 Ukrainian drones were downed near Crimea overnight, as well as two drones which were flying toward the capital Moscow were shot down.

"Two UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) flying in the direction of the city of Moscow were destroyed," said the ministry in a statement. "Near the city of Sevastopol, two UAVs were hit by on-duty anti-aircraft defence equipment, another 9 were suppressed by means of electronic warfare and crashed in the Black Sea before reaching the target," it added.

The ministry stated that no reports of casualties or damage emerged from any of the affected areas. The strikes take place a day after Russia claimed two Ukrainian combat drones which were moving in the direction of Moscow were shot down, making it the fourth attack that took place near the capital city in a week.

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Till a series of attacks in recent months, Moscow was not being targeted during the conflict in Ukraine, which started more than a year ago. However, the Russia-annexed Crimean peninsula has faced several strikes amid the hostilities and has witnessed more frequent attacks in recent weeks.

On Saturday, Russia said that a drone was downed over the ocean near Sevastopol, which was the base of its Black Sea fleet. In July, an ammunition depot was blown up by the Ukrainian drone strikes on Crimea and the bridge across the Kerch Strait, which linked Russia's mainland to the peninsula was damaged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky last month warned that "war" was coming to Russia, as the country's "symbolic centres and military bases" were becoming targets.

Air attacks escalate in wake ofKyiv'scounteroffensive

Since Kyiv started a counteroffensive in June, air attacks have multiplied, though modest advances have been made by the Ukrainian forces on the ground in the face of stiff resistance from troops of Moscow.

Russian officials on Wednesday stated that one person lost his life and four others suffered injuries by Ukrainian shelling on the border town of Gorkovsky which is located in the southern Belgorod region, where regular strikes take place.

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On the front line's other side, an oil depot in the Rivne region of Ukraine was destroyed during a "massive drone attack" on Thursday, said governor Vitaliy Koval, adding the investigators and emergency services were on the scene.

On Wednesday, two people were killed in a strike in Ukraine's southern city of Zaporizhzhia, while one woman and a young girl were killed in the Donetsk region.

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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