Russian Air Defenses Down 375 Ukrainian Drones Overnight
Russian air defenses downed 375 Ukrainian drones overnight as attacks hit multiple regions, leaving civilians dead and wounded in Belgorod and Kursk regions.
Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 375 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones overnight on July 16, the Russian Defense Ministry reported.
The aircraft were shot down over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Saratov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula and Yaroslavl regions, as well as the Moscow Region, the Krasnodar and Stavropol territories, Crimea, and the waters of the Azov and Black seas.
A further 155 drones were destroyed between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Moscow time the previous day.
The Belgorod Region came under 114 attacks over the past 24 hours, acting governor Alexander Shuvayev said. The strikes affected the Belgorodsky, Borisovsky, Valuysky, Volokonovsky, Grayvoronsky, Korochansky, Krasnoyaruzhsky, Rakityansky and Shebekinsky districts.
Ukrainian forces used artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems in 11 attacks and dropped explosive devices from drones nine times. Air defense crews and other units involved in repelling the strikes destroyed 145 drones.
Nine people, including two children, were injured in the Belgorodsky, Grayvoronsky and Shebekinsky districts. The children were admitted to specialist departments at the regional children’s clinical hospital. Doctors described their condition as moderate and said there was no need to transfer them to federal medical centers. Shuvayev said he was personally overseeing the treatment of all those wounded.
In the Kursk Region, 154 drones of various types were destroyed between 9:00 a.m. on July 15 and 9:00 a.m. on July 16, Governor Alexander Khinshtein reported.
Artillery fire also struck evacuated areas 131 times, while drones carrying explosive devices were used in another 13 attacks.
A 36-year-old woman was wounded in the settlement of Khomutovka in the Khomutovsky District and later died from her injuries. A 59-year-old man was injured in the settlement of Uchitelsky in the Rylsky District.