Russian air defense units have shot down five Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over the territories of the Lugansk People’s Republic and Kharkov and Kherson regions over the past 24 hours, said the Russian Defense Ministry.
“Over the past 24 hours, air defense units downed four high mobility artillery rocket system (HIMARS) missiles and five Ukrainian drones in the areas of Golikovo and Kremennaya in the Lugansk People’s Republic, Berestovoye in the Kharkov region and Peschanoye in the Kherson region,” the Defense Ministry said.
The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. The peace talks that began soon thereafter failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance.
The Lugansk People’s Republic acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum. *i*ie
