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Russia, Ukraine Trade Drone Attacks 07/07 06:15
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of
Ukraine overnight, authorities said Monday, as the Kremlin dismissed the
country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports
grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks.
At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children,
in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said.
Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after
more than three years of war. Over the past week, Russia launched some 1,270
drones, 39 missiles and almost 1,000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday.
Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points
along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) front line, where Ukrainian
forces are severely stretched.
The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in
direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the
U.S. and Europe.
Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies
and a leading U.S. defense company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv
receives "hundreds of thousands" more this year.
"Air defense is the main thing for protecting life," Zelenskyy wrote on
Telegram on Monday.
That includes developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that can stop
Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said.
Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop
shortages on the front line.
One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in
northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of
Kyiv, the capital, during nighttime drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said.
Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in
the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where
Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops.
Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk
region, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said. He didn't specify the type of
weapons used.
Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that its troops shot down
91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black
Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
The Kremlin dismissed Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order
published on the Kremlin website said.
The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. Over the
weekend, hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo
and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central
Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks.
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