Ukraine live blog: ++ Air defense active in Rostov-on-Don ++

The governor of Russia’s Rostov-on-Don region reported the destruction of more than 40 air targets with the help of anti-aircraft systems. Russian drone fragments of Iranian origin have been found in Moldova. All developments in the live blog.

Ukraine has rejected reports of a Russian military advance in the Donetsk region. The situation in the suburb of Chasiv Yar near Bakhmut is difficult and there is fighting there, a military spokesman said. But the Russian troops did not penetrate the suburbs. This was previously reported by the Russian news agency RIA, citing an advisor to the regional authorities appointed by Russia. The contradictory reports cannot be independently verified.

According to official reports, Russia’s border region was attacked by dozens of Ukrainian drones during the night. The Russian Defense Ministry said its own air defense intercepted a total of 53 missiles, 44 of which were in the Rostov region. Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev, in turn, reported a “massive drone attack” that hit an administrative district called Morozovsky. Because a substation was damaged, some residents remained without power for the time being, he wrote. Independent media pointed out that there is a military airfield in the Morozovsky district. Footage of fireballs in the sky was also shared in Telegram channels and residents were quoted as reporting the sounds of explosions.

Almost two weeks after the attack on a concert hall near Moscow that killed 144 people, the responsible Russian investigative committee says it is checking for leads in Ukraine. The investigative committee said that data recovered from the suspects’ cell phones could “prove a connection between the attack and the conflict in Ukraine.” An investigation into the possible involvement of “representatives of Ukrainian special services and international Islamist and terrorist organizations in organizing and financing the attack” has been initiated, it said.

The Russian news agency RIA reports that Russian troops have advanced into a suburb of the city of Chasiv Yar in the Donetsk region. The agency relies on an advisor to the regional authorities appointed by Russia. There has been no independent confirmation so far. Chasiv Yar is around ten kilometers from Bakhmut.

Russia says it intercepted or shot down 53 Ukrainian drones during the night and morning. The Russian Defense Ministry said several attempts by Kiev to “carry out terrorist attacks using aerial drones” had been prevented. 44 of the 53 drones intercepted were aimed at the Rostov region, in whose regional capital Rostov-on-Don the military headquarters for the Russian offensive in Ukraine is located. The Defense Ministry also said that the Saratov, Kursk, Belgorod and Krasnodar regions were targeted by drone attacks.

The governor of Russia’s Rostov-on-Don region reported the destruction of more than 40 air targets with the help of anti-aircraft systems. Vasily Golubev wrote on the messaging app Telegram that the drone strikes were focused on the Morozovsk district northeast of Rostov-on-Don, which lies on Ukraine’s eastern border. Golubev said work is underway to restore power to the affected areas.

The border police in the Republic of Moldova have reported the discovery of fragments of a Russian drone of Iranian origin on the border with Ukraine. A police statement said the fragments were found near the villages of Etulia and Vladiceni and were labeled Geran-2, another name for the Iranian Shahed drones used by Russia. The fragments were found in an area about 500 meters from the Ukrainian border. According to police, the area is now cordoned off.

According to the World Health Organization, there were numerous attacks on rescue workers during the war in Ukraine. NATO chief Stoltenberg has reiterated that NATO will not send troops to Ukraine. The developments to read.