Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence systems shot down 21 Ukrainian drones during an overnight attack on southern and southwestern regions.According to the ministry, 11 drones were intercepted over the Volgograd region in southern Russia, while the rest were destroyed across the Rostov, Belgorod and Bryansk regions. The update was posted on the Telegram messaging app.The strikes came days after Russia launched a large-scale assault on Ukraine. On Friday night, Ukrainian officials reported that Moscow fired 537 strike drones and decoys along with 45 missiles across southern Ukraine. The Ukrainian Air Force said its defences neutralised 510 drones and 38 missiles. One civilian was killed and 28 others, including children, were wounded in Zaporizhzhia after a residential building was hit, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.The Kremlin has maintained it remains interested in peace talks, despite what Kyiv described as one of the deadliest barrages on the capital since the war began in 2022. The Aug 29 strike killed at least 23 people in central Kyiv, including children, and damaged European Union diplomatic offices.Hours later, the United States approved an arms package worth USD 825 million for Ukraine, which includes extended-range missiles and related equipment to bolster air defences.Meanwhile, Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. The Ukrainian General Staff said two facilities were hit overnight Saturday, one in the Krasnodar region near Crimea and another in Samara province. Falling drone debris triggered a blaze at the Krasnodar refinery, though regional officials later confirmed the fire had been extinguished. Another strike caused damage at the Syzran refinery in Samara.These attacks have worsened fuel shortages inside Russia, forcing authorities to ration supplies in some regions. Moscow has temporarily halted gasoline exports until September 30, with partial restrictions on traders in place until October 31. Analysts expect the crisis to ease later next month once refinery maintenance ends, though it has exposed vulnerabilities that Ukraine may continue to exploit.In a separate development, Ukraine’s former parliament speaker Andriy Parubiy was shot dead in Lviv on Saturday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the “terrible murder” and pledged a full investigation. Parubiy, 54, was a prominent pro-Western figure who played a key role in the 2004 Orange Revolution and led volunteer defence units during the 2014 Maidan protests. He served as speaker of parliament from 2016 to 2019.
