Russia and Ukraine have exchanged what is their largest drone strike since the beginning of the conflict, a significant escalation. According to the Moscow agency, Russia’s defence ministry has reported intercepting 84 Ukrainian drones across six regions, including near Moscow. The strikes have forced flights to be diverted from three of the capital’s major airports.
Meanwhile, Russia attacked Ukraine with 145 drones. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, most of them were shot down. But some did cause damage to their targets as all regions were attacked, as drone attacks intensified in the dead of night.
The largest drone strike is defined as ‘massive’ by Moscow
That was Ukraine’s largest attack on the city since the beginning of the war. “Massive” was the word used to describe it by the Moscow region’s governor, Andrei Vorobyev. Most of the drones were shot down over the Ramenskoye, Kolomna, and Domodedovo areas. Falling drones in Ramenskoye caused damage to five people and fires in four homes. The defence ministry confirmed that 34 drones crashed in the region.
Casualties were also reported from the side of Ukraine. In the Odesa region, an explosion caused by a drone resulted in injuries and structural damages. Pictures showed flames and wreckage. It was reported that according to Ukrainian officials, it shot down 62 out of Russia’s 129 Iranian-made drones, and 67 of them got lost. Some missiles steered towards Russia, Belarus, and Moldova.
The escalations were sparked by alleged significant territorial advances from the Russian forces. However, they were at a high price. UK Chief of Defense Staff Sir Tony Radakin revealed that Russia experienced its worst loss counts last month with averages sitting at 1,500 losses daily.
Can Trump handle the conflict?
Meanwhile, the international community is pondering how US President Donald Trump may handle the conflict. During the campaign, he said he could end the war “in a day” but gave little detail on how. A former Trump adviser said the administration will rely more on peace than forcing Ukraine back onto lost territory. Trump’s team rejected those remarks.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov appears to be optimistic about the new U.S. administration promised by President-elect Donald Trump during the election. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently had a 30-minute talk with Trump. During the call, he underlined the paramount importance of U.S. support, claiming if that does not come, Ukraine may lose the war.
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