Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered officials to tighten control over the border with Ukraine after a spate of drone strikes attacked targeted regions in Russia – crashing a drone just 60 miles from Moscow.
Ukrainian authorities have not claimed responsibility for the attacks, but rather claimed the right to such forays to avert the invasion.
Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region on Tuesday morning, local governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post. He said there were no casualties. Three drones also targeted Russia’s Belgorod region along the border, and one flew through the window of an apartment in the eponymous capital, local authorities reported.
Moscow regional governor Andrei Vorobyov said the drone in the Moscow region apparently aimed at — but did not hit — a Gazprom gas distribution facility.
“There are no casualties or destruction on the ground,” he told Telegram. “There are no risks to the safety of local residents.”
developments:
►Air alarms interrupted TV and radio programs in several regions of Russia on Tuesday. Russia’s Emergency Relief Ministry said in an online statement that the announcement was a hoax resulting from hacking.
►At least two civilians were killed and 17 injured by renewed Russian shelling in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and surrounding villages, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday.
Wesley Clark: Putin’s war is driven by his fear of Russia’s decline. That gives Ukraine a path to victory.
Yevgeny “Eugene” Vindman: Victory in Ukraine is crucial for America and the world. Biden needs to do more.
Russia’s death toll surpasses all of its wars since World War II
More than 60,000 Russian troops have died in the first year of the war in Ukraine, more than all Russian wars since World War II combined, a new study says.
The analysis by the Center for Strategic International Studies estimates that 60,000 to 70,000 Russian soldiers died in Ukraine. Russia suffered a total of about 200,000 to 250,000 casualties — wounded, killed and missing — during the first year of the war, the analysis said.
In comparison, Russia suffered 13,000 to 25,000 fatalities in Chechnya from 1994-2009, and 14,000 to 16,000 in Afghanistan from 1979-89.
“Some types of authoritarian regimes are willing to accept high losses in interstate conflicts, but the number of Russian casualties is unprecedented for post-World War II Russia,” the analysis said.
The Ukrainian military has also performed “remarkably well” against a much larger and initially better-equipped Russian army, thanks in part to the innovation of its forces, the analysis said. It adds that Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far been willing to accept large numbers of Russian fatalities with limited political ramifications, “but it is unclear whether he will be able to do so forever.”
Contributing: Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY; The associated press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live updates on the war in Ukraine: Putin warns after drones hit Russia
