Russia claims shooting down 13 more Ukrainian drones

MOSCOW

The Russian military shot down 13 more Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles last night, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.

Air defense systems also intercepted 14 Ukrainian shells from Smerch multiple rocket launchers over residential areas in Donbas, ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said at a daily briefing in Moscow.

Russian aviation struck 120 areas of concentration of manpower and Ukrainian military equipment, an ammunition depot, and the radar of one S-300 air defense system, Konashenkov added.

The Strategic Rocket Forces destroyed 405 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment, 12 control points and 26 artillery units in firing positions, an S-300 air defense system, three Smerch multiple rocket launchers and two ammunition depots, while high-precision air-based missiles hit four control points, 34 areas of concentration of manpower and Ukrainian military equipment, as well as two ammunition depots, he said.

“In total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 164 aircraft, 125 helicopters, 821 unmanned aerial vehicles, 303 air defense systems, 3,013 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 364 multiple rocket launchers, 1,471 field artillery guns and mortars, as well as 2,824 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed,” he added.

At least 3,496 civilians have been killed and 3,760 others injured since Russia launched the war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, according to UN estimates. The true toll is feared to be much higher.

Nearly 6 million people have fled to other countries, with some 7.7 million people internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.