Ukraine and Russia trade overnight drone attacks, military officials say

ABC:

LONDON — Dozens of Russian drones were launched overnight in an attack targeting regions throughout Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

Seventy-two of the 76 Shahed drones that were launched were destroyed by Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses, the Ukrainian air force said. The drones targeted regions throughout Ukraine, including Kyiv, the capital, officials said.

At least two regions in Russia were also targeted overnight by Ukrainian drones, the Russian Ministry of Defense said early Saturday.

“Ten UAVs were destroyed over the territory of the Kursk region and nine over the territory of the Belgorod region by air defense systems on duty,” the ministry said on Telegram.

The overnight launches between Ukraine and Russia followed talks on Friday in Washington, where President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed possibly lifting restrictions on the use of some Western weapons that could be used by Ukraine to strike deeper within Russia.