► Ukraine says it shot down 13 explosive drones overnight
Ukraine announced on Monday March 6 that it had shot down 13 Iranian-made explosive drones out of 15 launched by Russia overnight, the delivery of Western air defense systems helping Kiev to deal more effectively with this threat for several weeks.
“Russian invaders attacked Ukraine with Shahed-131/136 from the north (Russia’s Bryansk region),” the Ukrainian Air Force said. In total, “15 drone launches were recorded and 13 Shahed were destroyed”, according to the same source.
The Ukrainian authorities have not reported any human or material damage caused by the two drones which were not shot down.
Since October and after several setbacks on the ground, Moscow has begun to frequently target so-called “essential” Ukrainian infrastructure, particularly energy, depriving millions of inhabitants without electricity during the winter.
► Wagner’s boss again complains about a lack of ammunition
The boss of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigojine, whose men are on the front line in eastern Ukraine, has again complained of a lack of ammunition, attributing the delays in delivery to possible “treason “.
“Orders have been given for delivery on February 23. But so far most of the ammunition has not been sent,” Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a post on social media on Sunday evening. He mentioned two possible reasons for the delay: “Ordinary bureaucracy or betrayal”.
► Russian Defense Minister inspects reconstruction works in Mariupol
Russia’s defense minister visited Ukraine’s “special military operation” area to inspect reconstruction work in Mariupol, a port city devastated after a destructive siege, in Donbass, the army said on Monday Russian.
Sergei Shoigu had already recently conducted an inspection at a “command post” on the front in eastern Ukraine, as the battle for the hotly contested city of Bakhmout rages.
“As part of a trip to the area of the special military operation”, Sergei Shoigu carried out inspections on the infrastructure sites already rebuilt as well as on new construction sites in Mariupol (south-east), in the Republic People’s Republic of Donetsk (DNR), announced the Russian army in a press release which does not specify the exact date of this visit.