Russia downs five drones over Crimea, strikes Ukrainian airfield
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Russian air defenses down five drones while four others were disabled via electronic jamming systems over Crimea.
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A Russian military truck driving close by an unexploded rocket in the village of Chornobaivka, Russia, July 26, 2022 (Reuters)
Russian missiles successfully targeted an airfield near the city of Kropyvnytskyi in central Ukraine on Sunday, according to Yuriy Ignat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian air force.
Russian forces launched six missiles and five attack drones toward the airfield in which two missiles were able to bypass Ukrainian air defenses hitting the operational airfield.
Meanwhile, Crimea's air defenses successfully shot down five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) overnight, as electronic systems jammed four others, head of Crimea Sergey Aksyonov announced.
One of the downed UAVs damaged private properties, including the windows of three houses and two cars in the city of Dzhankoi.
Furthermore, authorities discovered an unexploded UAV on the premises of a private house, which led to the evacuation of 50 people to a temporary accommodation center until the area could be safely cleared. No casualties were reported as a result of the drone attacks.
Russia evacuates civilians from border region
In response to the escalating violence, Russian authorities issued a call on Sunday for residents in an area along the Ukraine border to evacuate their homes due to intensified shelling by Ukrainian forces.
The district of Shebekino in the western Belgorod region, situated on the Ukraine border, has experienced daily shelling that has claimed the lives of several civilians and forced villagers to flee their homes.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the region, urged residents to cooperate with authorities and temporarily leave their homes to prioritize their safety and that of their loved ones.
Gladkov revealed that the aim of the evacuation was "to safeguard what is most important: your life and the lives of your close ones," as the district experienced overnight shelling with "a lot of damage."
More than 4,000 people living in border areas are currently residing in temporary housing within the Belgorod region. The governor's plea for evacuation came a day after two women were tragically killed by shelling in border villages.
To ensure the safety and well-being of minors in border villages and children whose parents have been mobilized for the conflict in Ukraine, authorities announced plans to transport them to youth camps. This measure aims to provide a secure environment for children affected by the intensified fighting.
