Russia thwarts overnight drone attack, downs three Ukrainian UAVs

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
24 Aug 2023 08:37

A Ukrainian drone attack against Bryansk and Kaluga regions was thwarted by the Russian air defense as it downs three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

This photo released by Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel shows the site of the place where the downed Ukrainian drone fell in Krasnogorsk, just outside Moscow, Russia, on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023 (Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyev's official telegram channel via AP)

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russia has successfully thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack targeting the Bryansk and Kaluga regions. According to the statement, Russia destroyed three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the overnight attack.

"This night, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out terrorist attacks by aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles was thwarted," the Russian ministry said, adding that "two UAVs were destroyed by air defense systems over the territory of the Bryansk Region. Another Ukrainian drone was detected and destroyed by air defense systems above the Kaluga Region."

This type of attack is not new as two Ukrainian drones near Crimea were intercepted by the Russian Defense via electronic warfare, downing them into the water over the Black Sea 40 kilometers (24.8 miles) northwest of the Crimean peninsula, according to the Russian Defense Ministry released earlier on Tuesday.

The ministry said, "On August 21, at about 23:00 Moscow time [20:00 GMT], an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack with aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles was thwarted. The air defense forces detected and suppressed two Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles by electronic warfare".

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin relayed that air defense forces also shot down 2 drones on their way to Moscow. "One in the Krasnogorsk region, the other in the Chastsy region. Special services went to the scene of the incident," he wrote on Telegram.

Prigozhin confirmed aboard plane that crashed in Tver: Russian ATA

Prior to the Bryansk attack, on Wednesday night, the Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia confirmed Wagner Group private military company (PMC) leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was aboard the private jet that crashed.

Prigozhin's name was among the Embraer-135 (EBM-135BJ) passengers, in addition to Propustin Sergey, Makaryan Evgeniy, Totmin Aleksandr, Chekalov Valeriy, Utkin Dmitriy, and Matuseev Nikolay.

"Crew members: commander [pilot] Levshin Aleksei, second pilot Karimov Rustam, and flight attendant Raspopova Kristina," were also on board the flight, the agency detailed on Telegram.

Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations confirmed that a private plane on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed in the Tver Region on Wednesday, announcing that the incident killed all 10 people aboard.

The US President has expressed he was "not sure" what caused the crash but revealed he was "not surprised" by the news.

He steered clear of pointing any fingers at Russian President Vladimir Putin when asked and carefully responded that he did not have enough facts to answer.

Just yesterday, Prigozhin announced his return to Africa to fight terrorism in a video clip.

"We work in temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius," he said, adding, "The Wagner Group makes Russia great on all continents, makes Africa freer, and establishes justice."

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?