Acting Kursk Governor Alexander Khinshtein said a Ukrainian suicide drone struck an apartment building in the region on the night of 14/8, killing a woman and injuring 10 others.
Earlier, Yury Slyusar, governor of Rostov in western Russia, said Ukrainian drones also hit an apartment building in Rostov-on-Don, injuring 13 people. According to local officials, the drones also injured three people in Belgorod and killed one person in the village of Pristen.
Volgograd Governor Andrei Bocharov said debris from a Ukrainian drone caused an oil spill and fire at an oil refinery in the region.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on 14/8 that its air defenses had intercepted a total of 44 Ukrainian drones, but did not specify the total number of drones deployed by Ukraine or the related damage.
In a statement the same day, the Ukrainian Air Force Command said Russia had attacked Ukraine with 45 Geran suicide drones and decoy aircraft, mainly targeting the Chernihiv region and the Kyiv-controlled area of Donetsk, along with two converted S-300/S-400 missiles aimed at the Sumy region.
Ukrainian air defenses claimed to have intercepted 24 drones but admitted that 21 drones and the S-300/S-400 missiles got through.
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Cars on fire in Belgorod, Russia, after a Ukrainian drone strike on 14/8. Photo: Belgorod Governor's Office |
The attacks came just one day before US President Donald Trump and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin were set to meet in Alaska to discuss the conflict in Ukraine. The two leaders will also discuss security issues, international affairs, and bilateral cooperation.
The last time Presidents Trump and Putin met in person was at the G20 summit in Japan in 2019, during Trump's first term. The two have spoken by phone several times since Trump returned to the White House in January.
On 14/8, President Trump insisted he "will not be outmaneuvered" when he meets with his Russian counterpart and estimated a 25% chance the summit would fail. He pledged not to sign any agreements with Russia unilaterally and to include Ukraine in any decisions about its future.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also said any future agreement must guarantee security commitments for Ukraine.
Pham Giang (According to AFP, Hill, Ukrainska Pravda)
