Russian air defence officials reported that they destroyed 531 Ukrainian drones over 13 regions during the night between 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. The information was released by the Moscow Ministry of Defence on Wednesday. In the Kursk region, a temporary humanitarian cease‑fire is in effect. The cease‑fire, which is being monitored by international negotiators, began at 2 a.m. local time on Tuesday and ended at 8:59 p.m. on Sunday. Russian human‑rights ombudsman Jana Lantratova said that, in the last 30 hours, the cease‑fire had not been violated in the Oleski area, which is under Russian control. She added that she is in continuous contact with Ukrainian partner Dmitro Lubinec to coordinate the implementation of the agreement. According to Lantratova, the main tasks during the cease‑fire are to deliver food, medicine and other necessities to the estimated 1,500–2,000 civilians remaining in Oleski, and to evacuate those who choose to leave the town. Melania Trump, the U.S. first lady, who is also involved in coordinating humanitarian operations, posted on X on Wednesday that the cease‑fire zone in Kursk has been extended beyond the Oleski borders to ensure the safe movement of humanitarian convoys. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday that the extension had been discussed from the outset. The town of Oleski lies on the left bank of the Don River, about 3 km from the Ukrainian‑controlled city of Kursk on the opposite bank. The Antonovka road bridge that once connected the two towns was destroyed in November 2022. Russian officials have reported damage caused by the drone attacks. Dmitry Miljajev, governor of the Tula region, said that the mass drone assault caused damage in the industrial area of Novomoskovsk and in several nearby houses. An opposition news portal based in Riga reported that a fire broke out at a Novomoskovsk chemical plant, citing local residents. Alexander Hinstejn, governor of the Kursk region, warned that disruptions could affect health services because “drone chains” caused a fire in a building that houses the region’s server systems. Four civilians were injured on the Belgorod‑region border in the last few days, according to local reports. Vladimir Saldo, governor of the Russian‑occupied part of the Kursk region, has previously accused the Ukrainian army of deliberately creating a humanitarian emergency and attacking energy and telecommunications facilities. Peskov said on Wednesday that, aside from Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, no other European leaders had initiated talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Article source: Magyar Hirlap | Image credit: Magyar Hirlap