Drone flight to the Caucasus?
Moscow reports serious Ukrainian attacks
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According to Moscow, the Ukrainian army attacked Russian territory again during the night. For the first time, the region of North Ossetia, which is far from the front, is said to have been affected. The Russian governor of Kherson, however, accuses Ukraine of a serious attack with many dead and injured.
According to Moscow, Ukraine attacked Russian targets with a total of 25 combat drones during the night. Drones were repelled in the border regions of Rostov, Bryansk and Belgorod, among others, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea was also affected again. According to Belgorod governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, a village church in his area was damaged. No one was injured, according to the report.
A drone is also said to have penetrated into the republic of North Ossetia in the Caucasus. Regional head Sergei Menjailo said the target was a military airfield. According to media reports, this was the first time since the war began that a Ukrainian drone made it to North Ossetia, which is far from the front.
It was not possible to independently verify whether all Ukrainian drones were actually shot down by Russian air defenses. The Russian Defense Ministry does not usually provide any information about drones that reach their target.
Serious allegations against Ukraine
In addition, the Russian occupation administration of the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson accused the Ukrainian armed forces of having killed at least 22 people and wounded 15 when shelling the small town of Sadove. According to the Russian-appointed governor Vladimir Saldo, a village shop full of people was hit in the town of Sadove.
Of the 15 injured, 5 are in critical condition, the head of the region's administration told the TASS news agency. Saldo attached photos to a post on Telegram, but these did not give a clear impression of the extent of the incident. There was no independent confirmation of the alleged shelling. If the figures are correct, it would be one of the most serious hits to date by the Ukrainian army on its own territory under the control of the occupiers.
Meanwhile, in the occupied eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk, four people were killed and around 40 injured on Friday when a residential building was hit, according to the occupying authorities. Ukrainian authorities confirmed an attack, but said it was aimed at military targets. Possible civilian casualties were due to the use of Russian air defense systems.