Russia downs dozens of drones overnight, Ukraine strikes Shuya for second day

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russian air defence systems destroyed or intercepted 71 Ukrainian drones over six Russian regions overnight, Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday.

Most of the drones – 49 – were downed in the Kursk region, others – in Oryol, Ryazan, Bryansk, Vladimir and Tula regions.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the authorities in Russia’s Ivanovo region, which is east of Moscow, said that Ukrainian drones had attacked the town of Shuya, but that no casualties or damage had been inflicted.

It is the second night in a row that Shuya, which is around 1,150 km (715 miles) from the Ukrainian border, has come under attack.

The town hosts the base of a Russian missile brigade that Ukraine has blamed for a strike on the city of Sumy on Sunday that killed at least 35 people.

Russian Telegram channels were circulating videos that appeared to show the base being struck, and at least one fire burning on its premises.

Reuters could not verify the footage.

In the Russian-held part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, the Russian-installed management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant said that a Ukrainian drone had been downed 300 metres (985 feet) from the plant, which is Europe’s largest.

(Reporting by Reuters; Writing by Felix Light; editing by Guy Faulconbridge and Ros Russell)