Russian Military Says Ukrainian Drones Downed over Moscow, Leningrad Regions

Volunteers, who joined the Russian armed forces and took military training in Chechnya, board a plane before departing for positions of the Akhmat battalion involved in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, at an airport in Grozny, Russia, January 17, 2024. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov
Volunteers, who joined the Russian armed forces and took military training in Chechnya, board a plane before departing for positions of the Akhmat battalion involved in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, at an airport in Grozny, Russia, January 17, 2024. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov
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Russian Military Says Ukrainian Drones Downed over Moscow, Leningrad Regions

Volunteers, who joined the Russian armed forces and took military training in Chechnya, board a plane before departing for positions of the Akhmat battalion involved in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, at an airport in Grozny, Russia, January 17, 2024. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov
Volunteers, who joined the Russian armed forces and took military training in Chechnya, board a plane before departing for positions of the Akhmat battalion involved in Russia's military campaign in Ukraine, at an airport in Grozny, Russia, January 17, 2024. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov

Russia's Defence Ministry said early on Thursday that its air defense units had intercepted and destroyed one Ukrainian drone over the Moscow region and a second over the Leningrad region surrounding the country's second largest city, St Petersburg.
A ministry statement on the Telegram messaging app said the incidents occurred at about 0130 (2230 GMT on Wednesday).
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin had earlier said on Telegram that air defense units had downed a drone while it was on its way towards the capital. Fragments had hit the ground, but there was no damage or casualties, reported Reuters.
The attack on the Leningrad region targeted an oil terminal in the Baltic Sea, according to Russian news outlet SHOT, which cited anonymous sources.
Russian authorities also reported a fresh missile attack on the city of Belgorod located close to the Russian-Ukrainian border. Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said air defenses had downed all 10 missiles, but that one person had been injured.



UN Seeks $275 Million in Aid for Myanmar Quake Survivors

Credit: Sai Aung MAIN / AFP
Credit: Sai Aung MAIN / AFP
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UN Seeks $275 Million in Aid for Myanmar Quake Survivors

Credit: Sai Aung MAIN / AFP
Credit: Sai Aung MAIN / AFP

The United Nations launched an appeal on Friday for $275 million in donations urgently needed to aid more than one million people affected by the recent magnitude 7.7 earthquake that devastated Myanmar.
The new appeal report warns that only around five percent has been funded of an estimated $1.1 billion needed for the previous humanitarian aid plan for 5.5 million people, AFP said.
"With new and increasing needs, additional resources are urgently required," the report said.
The new appeal would target the most vulnerable 1.1 million people, with an emphasis on women and girls "who face higher risks of gender-based violence, food insecurity and lack of access to reproductive health," it added.
According to the UN, more than 6.3 million people are in urgent need of assistance in the areas hardest hit by the magnitude 7.7 earthquake on March 28, which killed more than 3,600 people.