Introduction

Russia announced on Wednesday that its air defenses shot down three Ukrainian drones over the Kaluga region, southwest of Moscow, in the latest attack of its kind targeting areas surrounding the capital.

Russian Defense Ministry’s Announcement

The Russian Defense Ministry said via Telegram that it prevented an attempted Ukrainian attack using “three unmanned aerial vehicles in the Kaluga region” around 5 a.m. (02:00 Moscow time).

Confirmation and Lack of Casualties

And confirmed that “all drones were detected and destroyed at the required time by air defense systems,” noting that the accident did not lead to human casualties or injuries.

Confirmation by Local Governor

Local governor Vladislav Shapsha confirmed on Telegram that the drones were shot down “in the south of the Kaluga region, about 200 km southwest of Moscow.”

Increase in Drone Attacks

Drone attacks on Russian territory or areas controlled by Moscow have increased in recent weeks, especially in the capital.

Previous Suppression of Marches in Kaluga

This is at least the fifth time that Russia has announced the suppression of marches in Kaluga after similar attacks on the third and seventh of August, in addition to the last Thursday and Saturday.

Previous Drones Attacks in Moscow

On August 3, the Ministry of Defense and local authorities announced the downing of 7 drones over Kaluga, emphasizing that no one was injured in the attack.

In late July and early this month, other drones were shot down over a business district in western Moscow. The attack damaged a trading tower in the Moscow City area.

In May, Russia announced it had shot down two drones aimed at the Kremlin.

Ukraine’s Response

Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, said that Kyiv would not replace territories with NATO membership. And he took the opportunity, as is customary among the officials of the Kyiv regime, to demand that weapons be sent to them as soon as possible.

Podolyak wrote on platform X (formerly Twitter): “Replacement of territories by the NATO umbrella? Strange. This means the deliberate loss of democracy, the destruction of international law and the mandatory transmission of war to other generations.

He stressed that NATO representatives should talk about speeding up the shipment of weapons to Kyiv, and not about ceding territory to Moscow.

Potential Territory Exchange

Director of the Special Office of NATO Secretary General Stian Jensen said that Ukraine could join the alliance in exchange for ceding part of its territory to Russia.