Ukraine and Russia Intensify Cross-Border Attacks

Both Ukraine and Russia have intensified aerial attacks across their border, with Kyiv targeting Russian energy facilities and Moscow launching a barrage of strikes. Russia announced today, Friday, that 87 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, with 70 of them targeting the Rostov region in Russia. The Ministry of Defense stated, "During the night, we thwarted... an attempt to carry out an attack using drones." It added, "In total, 87 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territories," specifying that 70 drones were shot down over Rostov, six over Kursk and Voronezh, and two over the border regions of Volgograd and Belgorod adjacent to Ukraine. There were no reported casualties in Rostov, but the attacks caused power outages in several areas, according to regional governor Vasily Golubev on the Telegram platform. In Voronezh, near Ukraine, a fuel tank sustained minor damage from debris, according to regional governor Alexander Gusev. For its part, Ukraine claimed that its air defenses shot down 24 out of 31 missiles and drones launched overnight. Three people were injured in a drone attack in the Sumy region (east), and several homes were damaged in the neighboring Kharkiv region.