Russia downs 5 Ukrainian drones over Belgorod region

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – The Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday that five Ukrainian drones were shot down over the Belgorod region overnight.

The ministry said in a statement that all unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were shot down by air defense systems.

Meanwhile, another attack was foiled in the northwestern Black Sea when a Russian Black Sea Fleet Ka-29 helicopter detected and destroyed a Ukrainian unmanned boat heading towards the Crimean Peninsula, the ministry noted.

In a separate statement, the head of the press center of Russia's Center Group of Forces, Alexander Savchuk, said artillery and aviation struck positions of the Ukrainian Azov brigade of special forces.

- Speed up of Su-34 fighter jets productions instructed

Russia's Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu instructed the management of the Novosibirsk aircraft factory to speed up production and repair of Su-34 fighter jets, his ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"This aircraft is the main workhorse, it has four or five sorties every day," he said.

The Su-34, or Fullback in NATO terminology, is a two-seat all-weather front-line bomber designed for missile and bomb attacks on ground and air targets.

- Explosions in Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram that Russia attacked the city of Kharkiv, killing a 10-year-old boy and injuring 20 others.

"My condolences to my family and friends! ... All the wounded are provided with the necessary assistance. The rescue operation continues," he said on Friday.

Explosions were also reported Thursday night in Ukraine's Odesa and Mykolayiv regions.