Ukraine and Russia exchange drone attacks while Russia continues its push in the east

Russia claimed to have shot down around 60 drones and several missiles over its territory, while Ukraine reported destroying over 30 Russian drones. At least four people were killed in an attack on the outskirts of Kharkiv on Sunday as Russia continued its renewed offensive in Ukraine’s northeast.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its air defenses shot down 57 Ukrainian drones overnight in the southern Krasnodar region. Local officials reported that drone debris hit an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban, though there was no fire or damage. Videos published by news outlet Astra appeared to show an explosion at the refinery, but these could not be independently verified.

In addition, nine long-range ballistic missiles and a drone were destroyed over the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula following a massive Ukrainian drone attack on Friday morning that caused a power outage in Sevastopol. Three more drones were shot down over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. Regional Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov reported that falling drone debris set a church roof on fire, but no casualties occurred.

Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed governor of Ukraine’s partially occupied Kherson region, reported that a Ukrainian drone attack on Sunday morning killed one person and wounded 16 others when it struck a minibus.

In Ukraine, air force officials stated that air defenses shot down all 37 Russian drones launched against the country overnight. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, where Moscow has launched a new offensive, regional Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that one person died and 11 were wounded due to shelling the previous day. Later on Sunday, Syniehubov updated that four people were killed and eight wounded in a Russian strike on the outskirts of Kharkiv.

Ukrainian troops are currently engaged in efforts to halt Russian advances in the Kharkiv region, which began late last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a visit to China on Friday, stated that the offensive in Kharkiv aims to create a buffer zone and that there are no plans to capture the city.