Six Russian regions targeted in massive drone attack, heavy shelling of Kyiv kills two

Novaya-Europe’s round-up

It is day 553 of the war in Ukraine.

Two men in Kyiv were killed by “the heaviest Russian shelling since spring”.

In the largest UAV strike against Russia to date, drones attacked the Pskov, Bryansk, Oryol, Kaluga, Ryazan, and Moscow regions as well as the city of Sevastopol in annexed Crimea.

The Ukrainian Dota 2 team withdrew from the IESF World Championship 2023 after Russian pro gamers were allowed to compete under the Russian flag.

Novaya-Europe’s news round-up will brief you on the main developments overnight.

Largest drone strike against Russia to date

In the early hours of Wednesday, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported drone strikes against six Russian regions and Sevastopol in annexed Crimea.

The first strike targeted an airport in the Pskov region, damaging four Il-76 strategic airlifters.

The ministry claimed that Russian forces shot down four drones in the Bryansk region, two drones each in the Oryol, Ryazan, and Kaluga regions, as well as one UAV over the Moscow region.

The Bryansk regional governor said that two drones had attacked the teletower in Bryansk, causing a fire which was soon extinguished. The city’s administration also reported a small explosion in the local office of the Russian Investigative Committee, later deleting the message from their website. The administration’s press service later clarified that the building was indeed damaged following the destruction of a UAV.

The Mash Telegram channel claims that one of the downed drones fell on the Kremny EL plant, one of Russia’s largest microelectronics manufacturers.

The Russian-installed governor of Sevastopol, Mikhail Razvozhayev, reported that defence forces had repelled several drone attacks overnight.

In a separate statement, the Russian Defence Ministry announced that the air force of the Black Sea fleet had destroyed four boats with landing parties of the Ukrainian army.

Two dead in shelling of Kyiv

The wreckage of downed Russian drones and missiles fell in several districts of the Ukrainian capital overnight, killing two security guards and injuring three more people.

Kyiv’s military administration head, Serhiy Popko, reported Wednesday morning that Kyiv “has not experienced such heavy shelling since spring”, adding that the enemy carried out a massive attack combining drones and missiles.

The Russian army first sent multiple Shahed drones from several directions and then launched missiles. Ukrainian air defence downed over 20 aerial targets.

Ukraine’s emergency service reported several fires following an attack on the suburbs of Kyiv.

Ukrainian team exits Dota 2 tournament after Russian gamers allowed to use Russian flag

The Ukrainian Dota 2 national team withdrew from the IESF World Championship 2023 after Russian pro gamers were allowed to compete under the Russian flag. The decision was voiced by Ivan Bondarev (Kidaro), the Ukrainian team’s support player.

“After hearing that the decision to lift the ban on Russia[‘s team] is final, we have no desire to participate in the competition,” he wrote.

The Ukrainian national team previously scored a technical defeat in a match against Indonesia, landing in group D. The IESF World Championship is taking place in the Romanian city of Iași.