Russia Says it Downed Ukraine-Launched Drones Targeting Moscow 

Spent shells lay piled up on the front line in the outskirts of Lyman, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (AP)
Spent shells lay piled up on the front line in the outskirts of Lyman, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (AP)
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Russia Says it Downed Ukraine-Launched Drones Targeting Moscow 

Spent shells lay piled up on the front line in the outskirts of Lyman, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (AP)
Spent shells lay piled up on the front line in the outskirts of Lyman, Ukraine, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2023. (AP)

Russia shot down at least three Ukraine-launched drones early Tuesday that were targeting the country's capital, the Russian defense ministry said.

The ministry said that its air defense systems destroyed two drones over the Kaluga and Tver regions, which border the Moscow region, as well as one closer to the capital, over the Istra district of the Moscow region.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that the drones "were trying to carry out an attack on Moscow" and that a consumer services facility was damaged in the Istra district, which is located some 65 km (40 miles) northwest of the Kremlin.

There was no damage or casualties elsewhere. Reuters could not independently verify the reports.

Sobyanin said that drone debris in the Tver region fell in the Zavidovo village. According to RIA state news agency, Zavidodvo is home to "Rus", an official residence palace of the Russian president.

President Vladimir Putin's main residences are the Novo-Ogaryovo residence in the Moscow region as well as the Grand Kremlin Palace - where official events are held.

Russian news agencies reported that almost 50 flights were cancelled or postponed early Tuesday from the four major airports around the capital - Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky.

Drone attacks on Russian targets, especially in Crimea - annexed by Moscow in 2014 - and in regions bordering Ukraine, have become almost a daily occurrences since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May.

The attacks have disrupted flights in and out of Moscow in recent weeks. Ukraine rarely takes direct responsibility for such drone strikes but says destroying Russian military infrastructure helps a counteroffensive Kyiv began in June.



Bomb Targeting Bus Carrying Security Forces Kills 5 and Wounds 10 in Restive Southwestern Pakistan

An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER
An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER
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Bomb Targeting Bus Carrying Security Forces Kills 5 and Wounds 10 in Restive Southwestern Pakistan

An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER
An armed Pakistani security official stands guard during an inspection of the scene where a train was hijacked by suspected militants, in Sibi, Pakistan, 15 March 2025. EPA/STRINGER

A roadside bomb exploded near a bus carrying security forces in restive southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least five officers and wounding 10 others, police said.
The attack occurred in Naushki, a district in Balochistan, said Zafar Zamanani, a local police chief. He said the blast also badly damaged another nearby bus. The dead and wounded were transported to a nearby hospital, The Associated Press said.
Sarfraz Bugti, the chief minister of Balochistan, condemned the attack.
No one immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army, which days ago ambushed a train, took about 400 people on board hostage and killed 26 hostages before security forces launched an operation and killed all the 33 attackers.
Oil- and mineral-rich Balochistan is Pakistan’s largest and least populated province. Ethnic Baloch residents have long accused the central government of discrimination — a charge Islamabad denies. Baloch Liberation Army has been demanding independence from the central government.