MOSCOW/ST. PETERSBURG – Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 167 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones between 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm Moscow time, 12 of which were targeting Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defense said Thursday.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said specialists from emergency services are working at the debris sites.
From 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm Moscow time, the country’s air defense units also intercepted and destroyed 35 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over the Bryansk region, the ministry said.
Potential summit
A potential summit between Russia and Ukraine should bring closure to all negotiations, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.
“If we are talking about such a summit, it should finalize the outcome of the negotiations. It should wrap up all work and bring matters to a conclusion,” Peskov said, adding that Russia’s position on Ukraine is consistent and unchanged.
Negotiations toward a Ukrainian settlement are ongoing, and Moscow has been hearing highly conflicting statements from Ukrainian representatives, the spokesperson said.
When asked whether rhetoric concerning nuclear weapons would be discussed at the next round of Ukrainian negotiations, the official said such an issue cannot be overlooked.
“All sides are pressing ahead with their work, including the US negotiators, for whose continued efforts we are very grateful,” Peskov said.
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Separately, Peskov noted that attempting to define the current stage of the Ukrainian settlement process or to issue forecasts would be a grave mistake.
The latest round of talks involving Russia, the United States and Ukraine was held in Geneva on Feb 17-18.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Wednesday that the next round of talks between delegations from Ukraine, the United States and Russia is expected to take place in early March, media reported.
Terror plot
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has thwarted a planned terrorist attack targeting a senior military officer in St. Petersburg.
Two Russian citizens were detained on suspicion of preparing the attack, which was coordinated by Ukrainian special services, the FSB said Thursday.
The detainees confessed to the crime. A decision is being made on whether to open a criminal case.
The suspects had communicated via the messaging platform Telegram with representatives of Ukrainian intelligence. Acting on instructions from their handler, they retrieved an improvised explosive device from a hiding place, conducted surveillance at the residence of the intended target, and planted a bomb under the officer’s vehicle, the FSB said.
FSB officers discovered and defused the device before it could be detonated.