Casualties reported amidst attacks in Ukraine and Russia
In a series of drone attacks over the weekend, Ukrainian forces targeted Russian border regions, resulting in civilian casualties and property damage. The latest incident occurred in the city of Belgorod, where at least one person was killed and six were injured.
According to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, the attacks caused damage to six residential homes. Separately, a young man was killed and another wounded in a strike on their car near the village of Pervomaisky, close to the Ukrainian border.
Russian air defense claimed to have destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones over a 3-1/2-hour period ending at 11:30 p.m. local time, with 29 of those reportedly intercepted over the Belgorod region and 16 over Bryansk region. One specific incident near Pervomaisky involved a drone that was downed after it had struck the car, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
The front line between Russian and Ukrainian troops is approximately 15 kilometers from Dobropillia, a city in Ukraine that has seen its fair share of violence. Nearly 30,000 people lived in Dobropillia before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, and the city has been a target of attacks ever since.
These strikes are part of an ongoing pattern of Ukrainian drone and missile attacks targeting Russian border regions since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Civilian casualties and damage to homes have become a regular feature of these incidents, with both sides accusing each other of targeting non-combatants, though each denies such intent.
The Russian government and local authorities provide most casualty and interception details, and independent verification is limited due to the nature of the conflict and restricted media access. The proposal for the new government should have formally come from the parliamentary majority first according to the constitution.
In other news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to task Denys Shmyhal with forming a new government today. Shmyhal had held the position of prime minister since March 2020, long before Russia's invasion in February 2022. Meanwhile, Rustem Umerov, the outgoing minister of defense, is expected to become ambassador to the USA.
The parliament in Kyiv will vote on the confirmation of the new Prime Minister Julia Swyrydenko and her cabinet today. The president has the right to propose candidates for the defense and foreign ministers.
In addition to the attacks in Belgorod, Moscow's mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported the interception of three drones heading towards the capital during the night. In the western Russian city of Voronezh, three minors were injured by debris from previously shot-down drones hitting a multi-story building. Ukrainian media reported a drone attack with injuries in the southern city of Nikopol.
These events highlight the continued use of drone warfare by Ukraine against Russian territory, resulting in civilian casualties and property damage, while Russian air defenses claim significant interception rates, though the full impact and accuracy of these claims remain unclear.
Car-accidents and general-news significantly increased in western Russia as three drones headed towards Moscow's capital, leading to the interception of these drones and minor injuries in the city of Voronezh from falling debris. In addition, politics and crime-and-justice are at the forefront as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is expected to task Denys Shmyhal with forming a new government, while Rustem Umerov, the outgoing minister of defense, is anticipated to become ambassador to the USA. The confirmation of the new Prime Minister Julia Swyrydenko and her cabinet will be voted on in Kyiv's parliament. War-and-conflicts continue along the Russian-Ukrainian border, with each side accusing each other of targeting non-combatants in ongoing drone and missile attacks.
