Russia says Ukrainian drones downed in Tver, Kaluga regions

By Aliia Raimbekova

MOSCOW (AA) — Russia said early on Saturday that its air defenses thwarted a Ukrainian drone strikes in its western regions of Kaluga and Tver.

Two aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Kyiv were shot down as they made their way to the facilities they were targeting in the overnight attack, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Russian air defense systems destroyed the Ukrainian UAVs in the airspace of the Kaluga and Tver regions, the statement added.

Drone strikes inside Russia have dramatically increased in recent months, notably in Moscow and regions bordering Ukraine, as well as Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

Russian authorities accusing Ukraine of being behind these attacks.

Although Kyiv has not claimed responsibility, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in July that the attacks on Russian territory are an “inevitable, natural and absolutely fair process.”