Sunday, October 29, 2023

Putin Tightens Ukraine Border After Drone Attack

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On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered officials to tighten control of the border with Ukraine following a series of drone attacks that Russian authorities blamed on Kyiv. The drone attacks caused no casualties but provoked a security stir after the war in Ukraine marked its first anniversary last week.

The drone attacks targeted several areas in southern and western Russia, with one drone crashing near the village of Gubastovo, 100km (60 miles) southeast of Moscow. Governor Andrei Vorobyov said the drone didn’t inflict any damage, and pictures of the drone showed it was a Ukrainian-made type.

Local authorities reported that three drones also targeted Russia’s Belgorod region on Ukraine’s border on Monday night, with one flying through an apartment window in its capital, Belgorod. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the drones caused minor damage to buildings and cars but no casualties.

The Russian Ministry of Defence said Ukraine used drones to attack facilities in the southern region of Krasnodar and neighbouring Adygea. It said the drones were brought down by electronic warfare assets, adding that one crashed into a field and another diverted from its designated flight path and missed an infrastructure facility it was supposed to attack.

In response to the drone attacks, Putin called for increased border control with Ukraine. He did not refer to any specific attacks in a speech in the Russian capital, but stepped up border controls hours after the drone attacks and authorities closed the airspace over St Petersburg in response to what some reports said was a drone.

Additionally, several Russian television stations aired a missile attack warning that officials blamed on hacking. Ukrainian officials did not immediately claim responsibility for the attacks, but they similarly avoided directly acknowledging responsibility for previous strikes and sabotage while emphasising Kyiv’s right to hit any target in Russia after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The recent drone attacks have caused alarm in Russia, as they demonstrate the potential for Ukrainian forces to target areas deep inside Russia. In response, Putin has ordered increased border control with Ukraine and authorities have closed the airspace over St Petersburg. Ukrainian officials have not claimed responsibility for the attacks, but have emphasised their right to hit any target in Russia after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.

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