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.



Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire 'Would've Never Happened' Without His Team

FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump makes remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump makes remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
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Trump Says Gaza Ceasefire 'Would've Never Happened' Without His Team

FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump makes remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: US President-elect Donald Trump makes remarks at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, US January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas would have never been reached without pressure from him and his incoming administration.
The agreement, which would exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, awaits approval by Israel's security cabinet before taking effect, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be negotiated.
Four days away from being inaugurated for a second term, Trump told the Dan Bongino Show that negotiations would have never finalized without pressure from his team, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, AFP reported.
"If we weren't involved in this deal, the deal would've never happened," Trump said.
"We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office," he added.
Israel's security cabinet was set to meet Friday to discuss the terms of the ceasefire, which would go into effect Sunday at the earliest, just before Trump's presidential inauguration on Monday.
Trump also blasted outgoing President Joe Biden for taking credit for the ceasefire agreement, calling him "ungracious" and saying: "He didn't do anything! If I didn't do this, if we didn't get involved, the hostages would never be out."
Biden had proposed a ceasefire agreement last May with terms that mirrored the deal reached this week.
The ceasefire agreement under discussion proposes an initial 42-day ceasefire that would see the release of 33 hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza's population centers.
The second phase of the agreement could bring a "permanent end to the war," Biden said.
In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Biden said that he had not had any recent discussions with Trump about the ceasefire negotiations.