Ukraine Drones Strike Crimea, Moscow, Oil Depot, Russia Says

 Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)
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Ukraine Drones Strike Crimea, Moscow, Oil Depot, Russia Says

 Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)
Smoke rises in the sky over a residential building destroyed by a Russian military strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Orikhiv, Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine September 13, 2023. (Reuters)

Russia said it thwarted a coordinated Ukrainian attack on Crimea early on Sunday, while drones also targeted Moscow, disrupting air traffic in the capital, and caused a fire at an oil depot in the southwest of the country.

Ukraine in recent days has launched a series of strikes on Russian military targets in occupied Crimea and the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet's facilities, seeking to undermine Moscow's war efforts in the critical region.

Attacks deep inside Russia, far from the front lines, have also increased, with Moscow's mayor saying at least two drones were shot down in the capital region early on Sunday.

Reuters could not independently verify Sunday's reports and there were no immediate comment from Kyiv.

In an opinion piece late on Saturday, Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's Security Council, urged Kyiv's allies to speed up the delivery of weapons, saying this was the only way to end the war.

"For example, the complete or partial elimination of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is a doable task, should significantly accelerate the process of Russia's search for a way out of the ongoing war," Danilov wrote on the Ukrainska Pravda news site.

Russian air defense systems destroyed at least six drones targeting Crimea from different directions, Russia's defense ministry said on Sunday.

The report on the Telegram messaging app did not say whether there was any damage or casualties in the peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in a broadly condemned move in 2014, eight years before Moscow's full-fledged invasion.

In the Moscow region, a drone was destroyed over the Istra district and another over the Ramensky district, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram, adding there were no casualties or damage from drone debris.

At least 30 flights were delayed and six cancelled at Moscow's major airports, Russian state news agencies said - a frequent move by aviation authorities during drone strikes.

In southwestern Russia, a Ukrainian drone damaged an oil depot early on Sunday, sparking a fire at a fuel tank that was later extinguished, the regional governor said.

"There are no casualties, all emergency services are working on the territory of the facility," the governor of the Oryol region, Andrei Klychkov, said on Telegram.

He did not specify whether the depot was hit by debris or targeted by the drone.



G7 Statement will Not Mention ICC Warrant for Netanyahu

Protesters wave an Israeli flag and hold placards as they stand behind a banner reading, "Crime Minister" and demonstrate against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just before his corruption trial opens, outside his residence in Jerusalem May 24, 2020. The placard in Hebrew reads, " Indictment: favorable coverage = lying to the public" REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Protesters wave an Israeli flag and hold placards as they stand behind a banner reading, "Crime Minister" and demonstrate against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just before his corruption trial opens, outside his residence in Jerusalem May 24, 2020. The placard in Hebrew reads, " Indictment: favorable coverage = lying to the public" REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
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G7 Statement will Not Mention ICC Warrant for Netanyahu

Protesters wave an Israeli flag and hold placards as they stand behind a banner reading, "Crime Minister" and demonstrate against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just before his corruption trial opens, outside his residence in Jerusalem May 24, 2020. The placard in Hebrew reads, " Indictment: favorable coverage = lying to the public" REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo
Protesters wave an Israeli flag and hold placards as they stand behind a banner reading, "Crime Minister" and demonstrate against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just before his corruption trial opens, outside his residence in Jerusalem May 24, 2020. The placard in Hebrew reads, " Indictment: favorable coverage = lying to the public" REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo

A joint statement of Group of Seven foreign ministers is set to avoid mentioning the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, despite an effort by the Italian hosts to find a common position on it.

Italy, which currently chairs the G7, said on Monday it wanted to try to forge a common position about the ICC arrest warrant at a two-day meeting it hosted in the spa town of Fiuggi and which ended on Tuesday.

A draft of the final statement due to emerge from the discussions, reviewed by Reuters, did not directly name the ICC and its decisions.

"In exercising its right to defend itself, Israel must fully comply with its obligations under international law in all circumstances, including International Humanitarian Law," it said.

"We reiterate our commitment to International Humanitarian Law and will comply with our respective obligations," the statement added, stressing "that there can be no equivalence between the terrorist group Hamas and the State of Israel".

Last week, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence chief Yoav Gallant, as well as a Hamas leader, Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.

The move was strongly criticized by the United States but other states including Britain and Italy did not rule out that they could make an arrest if Netanyahu visited their countries.

Israel condemned the ICC decision as shameful and absurd. Hamas praised it as a step towards justice.