Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered authorities to tighten controls on Ukraine’s borders after a spate of drone strikes targeting regions within Russia, with one crashing just 60 miles from Moscow.
Ukrainian officials have not claimed responsibility for the attacks, but have previously claimed they had the right to carry out such attacks to deter an invasion.
Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone in the Bryansk region early Tuesday morning, regional governor Alexander 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 windows of an apartment building in the capital of the same name, local officials reported.
Moscow region governor Andrei Vorobyov said drones in the Moscow region appeared to have aimed at Gazprom’s gas supply facilities but did not hit them.
“No casualties or destruction on the ground,” he said on Telegram. “There is no danger to the safety of local residents.”
development:
►Air raid warnings disrupted TV and radio programming in several parts of Russia on Tuesday. Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said in an online statement that the announcement was a hacking hoax.
At least two civilians have been killed and 17 injured in renewed Russian shelling in the southern Ukraine city of Kherson and surrounding villages, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.
Russia’s death toll surpasses all wars since WWII
More than 60,000 Russian troops died in the first year of the Ukraine war, more than in all Russian wars since World War II combined, says a new study.
Analysis by Institute for Strategic and International Studies estimates that between 60,000 and 70,000 Russian soldiers died in Ukraine. Analyzes show that Russia suffered approximately 200,000 to 250,000 total casualties – wounded, dead and missing personnel – in the first year of the war.
By contrast, Russia suffered between 13,000 and 25,000 deaths in Chechnya between 1994 and 2009 and between 14,000 and 16,000 in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989.
“Certain authoritarian regimes are willing to accept high casualties in interstate conflicts, but Russia’s casualty figures are unprecedented for post-World War II Russia,” the analysis said. ing.
The Ukrainian military has also performed “very well” against the much larger and better-equipped Russian army, thanks in part to military innovations, the analysis said. Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far been willing to accept a large number of Russian deaths with limited political repercussions, but added, “It is unclear whether he will be able to do so forever.”
Contributions: Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY. Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. Ukraine War Live Update: Putin Issues Warning After Drone Attacks Russia