The Russian defense announced the capture of 32 towns in July and the downing of more than 21,000 Ukrainian drones, including 274 that were intercepted and destroyed overnight.
Afrasianet - The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Saturday that Russian forces took control of 32 towns in the area of the special military operation last July, while Russian air defense systems shot down more than 21,000 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory during the same month.
According to the Ministry of Defense, Russian forces took control of the 32 towns from July 1 to 31, distributed among 12 towns in the Kharkiv Oblast, 11 towns in the Donetsk People's Republic, 4 towns in the Sumy Oblast, 3 towns in the Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, and 2 towns in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Russia's Sputnik news agency had earlier reported, based on data from the Russian Ministry of Defense, that Russian forces had taken control of 128 towns in the area of the special military operation during the first half of the year, the majority of which were in the Donetsk People's Republic.
Russian defense shoots down 274 Ukrainian drones in one night
In the context of countering the air attacks, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its air defense forces shot down 274 drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the airspace of several Russian provinces and over the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
"During the past night, from 8:00 p.m. (Moscow time) on July 31 to 7:00 a.m. on August 1, Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 274 Ukrainian drones, over the districts of Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula, the Moscow region, the Republic of Crimea, the Krasnodar region, the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea," the Russian defense said in a statement on Saturday.
The data showed that air defense systems shot down more than 21,000 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory during the month of July, with the highest number of drones shot down on July 24 and 25, with 937 and 1,060 drones respectively, noting that most of the attacks targeted the European part of Russia.
Russia: We targeted a ship carrying a military cargo near Odessa in Ukraine
Yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported on Friday that Russian forces continue to target ports and ships that work for Ukraine.
"On the evening of Thursday, July 30, the Russian Armed Forces continued to launch attacks with air-launched precision weapons and unmanned aerial vehicles on the port infrastructure of Ukraine, and naval vessels participating in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Russian forces targeted fuel tanks and lubricants intended for the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the port of Odesa.
A vessel transporting military equipment to a Ukrainian port was also targeted as it crossed the sea south of Odesa.
Days ago, Russian forces carried out concentrated strikes targeting ports and naval vessels used for the benefit of Ukrainian forces, according to a Russian defense statement.
Fuel unloading and storage facilities of Ukrainian forces have been damaged by strikes by the Russian armed forces using high-precision weapons.
The strikes included targeting fuel tanks intended for Ukrainian forces in the port of Chornomorsk, as well as a military cargo tanker belonging to Ukrainian forces in the port of Nikolaev.
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