Russian Drones Violate Airspace of NATO Members
Two NATO members, Romania and Latvia, reported incursions by Russian drones into their airspace on Sunday.
In Romania, a drone entered the country's territory early Sunday morning as Russia launched attacks on Ukrainian targets near the border. The Romanian Ministry of National Defense deployed F-16 warplanes to monitor its airspace and issued alerts to residents in two eastern regions. Investigations are underway to determine the impact zone of the drone, which entered an uninhabited area along the Romanian-Ukrainian border.
In Latvia, a Russian drone crashed near the town of Rezekne on Saturday. The drone likely strayed into Latvia from neighboring Belarus. The Latvian military identified the crash site and is conducting an investigation. Defense Minister Andris Sprūds emphasized that there were no casualties or property damage and that the incident serves as a reminder of the volatile situation in the region.
These incidents come amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, which has seen repeated violations of Ukrainian airspace by Russian drones and aircraft. The incursions into NATO airspace have raised concerns about the potential for escalation and the need for a strong response from the alliance.
Civilian Casualties in Ukraine
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, civilian casualties continue to mount as a result of Russian attacks. Two civilians were killed and four more injured in a nighttime airstrike on the northern city of Sumy. Russian forces also shelled the city again during the day, injuring a teenager and a civilian man.
Three more women died after Russian forces shelled a village in the eastern Donetsk region. A woman was also killed by shelling on the outskirts of Kharkiv.
The death toll from the massive Russian missile strike on a military academy and nearby hospital in the eastern city of Poltava on Tuesday has risen to 58. More than 320 others were wounded.
Russian Advance and Peace Talks
Russian forces continued their advance towards the city of Pokrovsk and ramped up attacks near the town of Kurakhove. The capture of Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub in the Donetsk region, would bring Russia closer to its stated aim of capturing the entire region.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy agree that Russia should be included in a future peace conference aimed at ending the war. A previous peace conference in June did not result in any concrete progress.