Doha: The Russian Ministry of Defense announced today that its air defense forces destroyed 71 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions overnight.
According to Qatar News Agency, in a statement, the ministry detailed the destruction of 24 drones over the Rostov region, 16 over the Moscow region, 11 in the Bryansk region, 10 over the Kaluga region, 3 in Kursk, 2 each in Oryol, Tula, and Lipetsk regions, and one drone in Kuban.
Since the beginning of the war, which has now entered its third year, Russia and Ukraine have exchanged near-daily reports claiming to repel attacks from the other side, but these reports cannot be independently verified due to the ongoing conflict since Feb. 24, 2022.
The most recent two rounds of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, held recently in Turkey, did not result in a political breakthrough to pave the way for ending the war; instead, they were limited to the exchange of thousands of prisoners, which was considered a positive step in the dialogue process despite the complexity of the conflict.
Russia affirmed that direct negotiations with Ukraine will continue, with the possibility of holding a third round of talks in Turkiye, though no official date has been set yet.