Russian air defense shots down Ukrainian drone over Bryansk region

Russian Governor of the Bryansk region has said that the air defense systems defending the region successfully downed a Ukrainian drone flying over its airspace, foiling another "terrorist" attack by Kiev.

"The air defense forces of the Russian Defense Ministry have foiled an attack by Ukrainian terrorists. An aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicle has been shot down over the Navlinsky district," Alexander Bogomaz said early on Wednesday on Telegram.

"There are no casualties or damage," Bogomaz added on social media.

"Operational and emergency services are working at the site," the Russian official further added.

Following Kiev's abortive months-long counteroffensive, Ukrainian troops have resorted to drone warfare, targeting civilian infrastructure, to make up for their military shortcomings on the battlefield, failing to deliver as expected on its promises of a vain victory against the stronger Russian troops.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has pointed out that the Moscow-Kiev conflict is a “proxy war” waged by the US and its NATO allies against Russia. It warned that the supply of arms and training to Kiev’s troops and intelligence-sharing makes the Western nations complicit, which means they are already de-facto parties to the conflict.

Russia, which views NATO as a hostile bloc and vigorously opposes its eastward expansion, has also highlighted Kiev’s aspirations of joining the US-led military alliance among the main reasons for launching its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.

World War III already underway: Ukraine

In related news, Ukraine’s security chief said World War III had already begun.

The head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council has said that World War III had already begun, with the conflict between the two neighboring countries pulling in international players far beyond the region.

Speaking at the Kiev Security Forum on Tuesday, Aleksey Danilov argued that NATO needs Ukraine as a member, as global turbulence is set to continue. “We’re going to strengthen the alliance,” he insisted.

“If somebody thinks that World War III hasn’t started then it’s a huge mistake. It has already begun. It had been underway in a hybrid period for some time and has now entered an active phase,” he said.

Sitting on stage beside ex-CIA Director General David Petraeus, Danilov said “If somebody thinks that it [the conflict in Ukraine] is about settling the scores between Kiev and Moscow then it’s a mistake. Things are much more complicated.”

Petraeus acknowledged the unprecedented scale of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, saying: “I haven’t seen anything like it since World War II.”

“The Russians are not particularly impressive in terms of knowledge or performance on the battlefield, but they have created a rather outstanding defense system, and it is quite difficult to punch through it,” he claimed.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that during the three months of its vain counteroffensive, Ukraine had lost some 66,000 of its troops and lots of heavy weaponry while failing to achieve any notable goals.

Putin tells schoolchildren Russia is 'invincible'

President Putin told Russian schoolchildren that the nation was "invincible."

Speaking about the Ukrainian counteroffensive earlier this week, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin reiterated it “is not stalled; it is a failure.”

In the meantime, according to Western media, Russian forces carried out air strikes on Kiev and the southern Ukrainian region of Odesa early on Wednesday.

One person died in the attack which caused a fire and damage at a Danube River port, Ukraine's military said.

Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said several agricultural and port facilities were damaged, and several fires were reported during a nearly three-hour drone attack on Odesa, in the Izmail district, an important grain exporting hub on the Danube River.

Kiev runs several river ports on the Danube as well as two major ports, Reni and Izmail, which have previously been targeted in Russian airstrikes.

Black Sea grain deal

Wheat prices are soaring once again as Russia says that it will not renew a UN-brokered deal to help stabilize global wheat prices.

Kiev's air force claimed its air defenses destroyed 23 out of the 33 air weapons Russia launched overnight, which included 25 drones, seven cruise missiles, and one ballistic missile.

Russia launched retaliatory attacks against Ukraine after Ukrainian forces' abortive counteroffensive prompted Kiev to frequently launch air attacks on the Russian capital, Moscow, and other cities and towns across the border inside Russia.

Kremlin launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, aiming to stop NATO's encroachment and to liberate the regions where the People's Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev's pro-Nazi forces persecuting the Russian-speaking inhabitants of Donbas.

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