On the last election day
Ukraine overwhelms Russia with a wave of attacks
While highly controversial presidential elections characterized by allegations of manipulation are taking place in Russia from Friday to Sunday, the country is battling massive attacks on its territory. There are deaths and numerous injuries. Even the capital Moscow is not spared.
Attacks by Russian paramilitaries from Ukraine on the border regions of Belgorod and Kursk in Russia are keeping the Moscow leadership on tenterhooks during the presidential election. President Vladimir Putin is constantly being informed about the attacks, said his spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Saturday. Two people were killed by rocket fire in the regional capital Belgorod. On Sunday, Russia reported the downing of 35 Ukrainian drones in eight regions, including Moscow.
Four drones were intercepted over Moscow, it said. There were also incidents in the regions of Belgorod, Kaluga, Oriol, Rostov, Yaroslavl, Kursk and Krasnodar. An oil refinery was attacked in Krasnodar:
One person died of a heart attack. The workers at the refinery were evacuated. A converted S-200 anti-aircraft missile was fired over the border region of Bryansk, southwest of Moscow.
Missile alert in Belgorod
The Russian city of Belgorod was also targeted by missiles again. According to the governor, a projectile hit a detached house. A 16-year-old girl died as a result. Two people were killed by rocket attacks in the area on Saturday.
Drone explodes over Moscow airport
Due to the drone attack on the Russian capital, operations at Moscow's Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports were temporarily suspended, according to the state news agency Tass. Flights have been canceled. According to the Telegram channel Mash, the downed threats were equipped with destructive elements such as steel balls.
Ukraine is increasingly taking the war back to Russia
Ukraine has been fending off a large-scale Russian invasion for over two years and is now increasingly taking the war back to Russia with improved combat drones. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi called the increased range an important strengthening of military potential. For Ukraine, however, the 753rd day of war also began with an air alert. According to the Ukrainian air force, Russian aircraft threatened to drop glide bombs in the north-east. In the south, Russian drones flew from the Black Sea towards the port city of Odessa.
Kremlin gears up
As a sign that the Kremlin is taking the development seriously, Putin reacted personally on Friday. He said that the attackers wanted to disrupt the presidential election. However, this would not succeed because the Russian people would stand united against it. "The corrupt regime in Kiev has intensified its terrorist attacks because of the presidential election in Russia," explained the Russian Foreign Ministry in Moscow on Saturday.
The government in Kiev claims that Russian units such as the Free Russia Legion or the Sibir Battalion are acting on their own initiative in the attacks in Russia. However, it is obvious that their weapons, including tanks, originate from Ukrainian stocks. The exiled Russian units had supported Ukraine from the first day of the war in February 2022, said the head of the Ukrainian military intelligence service HUR, Kyrylo Budanov, on television. "We are trying to help them as much as we can."
In these weeks, many have already seen that the Russian system of warfare has weak points and that we can reach these weak points with our weapons.
Wolodymyr Selenskyj
Putin wants to secure a fifth term in office
Putin wants to secure a fifth term in office in the election. However, it will take place under the complete control of the authorities. The Kremlin leader has no real opponents. Observers point to electoral fraud. There is international criticism that Moscow is also illegally conducting this sham vote in the occupied Ukrainian territories.
Selensky praises range of drones
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selensky praised the long range of Ukrainian drones. "In recent weeks, many have already seen that the Russian system of warfare has weak points and that we can reach these weak points with our weapons," he said in his evening video message on Saturday. He was apparently referring to several successful attacks by Ukrainian drones on Russian refineries located far in the enemy's hinterland.
On Saturday night, three oil facilities in the Russian region of Samara on the Volga, more than 1000 kilometers east of Ukraine, were attacked. With such attacks, Ukraine wants to disrupt Russian fuel production so that the military receives fewer supplies. The income from oil production, which Moscow uses to finance its war, is also to be reduced.
Little is known about the technical development of the Ukrainian drones, but their successful use over long distances has been documented for several weeks. "From now on, Ukraine will always have its own strike force in the sky," said Selenskyj.
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