KYIV: Falling debris from destroyed Ukrainian drones disrupted railway power supply and train operations in part of the Volgograd region, the administration of the region in Russia's south said on Sunday. There were no injuries as a result of the attacks, the administration said on the Telegram messaging app, citing Governor Andrei Bocharov. Russia's defence ministry said on Telegram that its air defence units had destroyed nine Ukrainian drones over the region. In total Russia downed 99 drones overnight over 12 Russian regions, the Crimean Peninsula and the Black Sea, the ministry said.
Russia's civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia said on Telegram that it had suspended flights soon after midnight at the airport in the city of Volgograd, the administrative centre of the Volgograd region. The flights had not resumed on Sunday morning. Because of the attack, trains were delayed in parts of the region, RIA state news agency reported.
The extent of the damage inflicted by the Ukrainian drone attack was not clear. The Russian defence ministry reports only how many drones its units destroy, not how many Ukraine launches. There was no comment from Ukraine. Kyiv has often said that its attacks are in response to Moscow's relentless strikes on Ukraine since Moscow attacked in 2022 and are aimed at destroying infrastructure key to Russia's war efforts.
Russia prefers political and diplomatic means to resolve conflict in Ukraine, but Kyiv and the West rejected that path, Russian news agencies reported on Sunday, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "Our preferred route is through political and diplomatic means," Peskov said, according to TASS state news agency. Peskov added, without providing evidence, that Moscow continues its military operation in Ukraine because "all proposals for dialogue were rejected, both by Ukraine and by Western countries."
Meanwhile, Russian air defence units downed 291 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones, the Russian Defence Ministry said. "Air defence systems downed two guided aircraft bombs, three projectiles of Czech-made Vampire multiple rocket launch systems and 291 fixed-wing drones," the ministry said on its Telegram channel. It added that Russian warplanes and drones struck drone production facilities and control centres within Ukraine.
Russia's Defence Ministry said on Saturday its forces had captured two more villages in eastern Ukraine, including one in Dnipropetrovsk region where Moscow says its troops have begun to make advances. Ukrainian forces made no acknowledgement that the villages had changed hands, but reported heavy fighting.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in an assessment of the situation along the 1,000 km front line, said the logistics hub of Pokrovsk remained the focal point of battles. He also said Ukrainian forces had recorded "successful actions" in Sumy region on Ukraine's northern border, where Russian forces have established a foothold in recent weeks.
The front-line clashes were reported three days after the two sides held their third direct meeting in Turkey aimed at resolving the nearly 3 ½ year-old war. Both sides reported progress in swaps of prisoners or the remains of war dead, but no breakthroughs were announced in terms of a ceasefire or a meeting of the two countries' leaders.
Russia said on Sunday a major annual navy parade had been cancelled for "security reasons", without specifying the threat or concern. "It has to do with the general situation. Security reasons are of utmost importance," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies.
The parade was meant to be the highlight of Russia's Navy Day, which falls on the last Sunday of July each year and honours the country's sailors. But local authorities in the coastal city of Saint Petersburg, where the warships and submarines were scheduled to pass, said on Friday the parade had been cancelled without giving a reason.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared in a video message hailing the "bravery" and "heroism" of Russia's sailors participating in the offensive in Ukraine.
"We are celebrating the holiday in a working atmosphere," Putin said later on Sunday, in a video address to Russian forces involved in large-scale naval manoeuvres called "July Storm". The drills, launched earlier this week in the Baltic and Caspian seas as well as in the Arctic and Pacific oceans, involved more than 150 ships and over 15,000 troops, Putin said. "Our main task is to ensure Russia's security and firmly protect the sovereignty and national interests," Putin said in Saint Petersburg, where he was travelling on Sunday, according to the Kremlin. — Agencies
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