Russian air defenses down nearly 1,300 Ukrainian drones in past day

MOSCOW, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian air defense systems shot down 1,297 Ukrainian drones and five cruise missiles over the past 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said Saturday.

This photo taken on Aug. 1, 2023 shows a building damaged in a drone attack in Moscow, Russia. (File photo: Xinhua)

The intercepted missiles included one SCALP air-launched cruise missile and four long-range Neptune cruise missiles, the ministry said in a statement.

Russian operational-tactical aircraft, attack drones, missile forces and artillery also struck energy and transport infrastructure used by Ukrainian forces, sites used to store and launch long-range drones, and temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries in 147 areas over the past 24 hours, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, three people were found dead after rubble was cleared following a Ukrainian missile strike on an enterprise in the Russian city of Oryol, regional Governor Andrei Klychkov said in a social media post.

The strike occurred Friday afternoon as workers were leaving the facility for the day. Eight other people were injured, five of whom were in critical condition.