Ukraine Says Drone Debris Damages Critical Facility in West

In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, the Russian army's 120 mm mortars fire at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, the Russian army's 120 mm mortars fire at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
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Ukraine Says Drone Debris Damages Critical Facility in West

In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, the Russian army's 120 mm mortars fire at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)
In this handout photo taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023, the Russian army's 120 mm mortars fire at Ukrainian troops at an undisclosed location. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

A critical infrastructure facility in western Ukraine's Khmelnytskiy region was damaged during an overnight Russian drone attack, an official said on Wednesday.

"In Shepetivka district, as a result of the downing of enemy aerial targets, they crashed on the territory of a critical infrastructure facility," a senior official in the Khmelnytskiy region, Sehiy Tiurin, said on the Telegram messaging app.

He said the blast wave damaged non-residential facilities, residential buildings and vehicles and at least 16 people had sought medical treatment for various injuries, Reuters reported.

The Ukrainian military said on Facebook that air forces destroyed all 11 Russian drones launched at Ukraine overnight.

The Khmelnytskiy region has regularly been a target of attacks by Russian drones and missiles, which analysts link to a military airfield in the region.



Chinese Carrier Sails Through Northeast Taiwan Waters 

The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)
The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)
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Chinese Carrier Sails Through Northeast Taiwan Waters 

The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)
The Liaoning seen in Hong Kong waters in 2017. (AFP)

A Chinese naval formation led by the Liaoning aircraft carrier sailed through waters northeast of Taiwan on Wednesday and continued towards the southeast of Japan's Yonaguni Island, Taipei's government said.

"During this period, the armed forces have monitored the situation and responded accordingly," Taiwan's defense ministry said in a statement.

The voyage came after the Chinese military tailed a US aircraft that flew through the politically sensitive Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, Beijing's army said, vowing to "resolutely defend national sovereignty".

"On September 17, a US P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft flew through the Taiwan Strait," Li Xi, a senior captain and spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), said in a statement.

"Theater troops are on constant high alert to resolutely defend national sovereignty and security and regional peace and stability."

Beijing views self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and claims jurisdiction over the waterway that separates the island from the Chinese mainland.

The Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong have sailed through the Taiwan Strait several times in recent years as Beijing intensified military and political pressure on the island.

Taiwan's military has reported near daily sightings of Chinese warplanes, drones and naval vessels around the island.

On Wednesday, the defense ministry said nine Chinese military aircraft, 13 naval vessels and one official ship were detected in a 24-hour window ending at 6:00 am (2200 GMT Tuesday).

It said in a second statement that a further 15 Chinese warplanes were detected on Wednesday, of which 12 crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait "in conducting air-sea joint training" with Chinese naval vessels.

"The People's Liberation Army also fired multiple launched rockets in the inland Gansu area," it added.