Russia on Saturday claimed successful drone attacks on a foreign mercenary base in Ukraine, while Ukraine reported neutralizing 292 Russian drones.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that its forces had targeted and destroyed a temporary foreign mercenary deployment site in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia region and a drone and component production facility in the Sumy region.
Moreover, between 06:00 and 09:40 local time on Saturday, Russian air defense systems shot down 18 drones in various locations.
The ministry also claimed that over the past week, Russian forces had captured five settlements in the Kharkov and Donetsk regions, intercepted seven Ukrainian "Storm Shadow" cruise missiles, and shot down 1,172 drones.
Meanwhile, Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russian forces had launched 322 drones from multiple directions since 20:00 Friday. By 09:30 Saturday, Ukrainian air defense forces had neutralized 292 of them, including 157 shot down by firepower and 135 lost or suppressed by electronic warfare.
Ukraine's Armed Forces also said they had conducted a precision strike on a military airfield in Voronezh Oblast in southwestern Russia, targeting a guided bomb warehouse and a training aircraft. Russia has yet to respond to this claim.
In a separate development, the Russian Investigative Committee announced on Saturday that it has confirmed the Ukrainian military's involvement in the downing of an IL-76 transport aircraft with Ukrainian prisoners of war onboard last year.
According to the committee, the order to attack the aircraft was given by the commander of the missile brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Nikolay Dzyaman. The identities of other Ukrainian officers involved are still under investigation, said the committee. Ukraine has not commented on the allegations.
The incident took place on Jan 24, 2024, when the IL-76 aircraft crashed in Russia's Belgorod region near the border with Ukraine. The aircraft was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war set to be exchanged.
Russia claims strikes on mercenary base, Ukraine reports neutralizing 292 drones
Thousands of demonstrators rallied in Italy and Greece on Saturday to protest against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, with protesters in Rome, Milan and Athens condemning Washington's actions and calling for respect for Venezuelan sovereignty.
In Rome, more than 1,000 demonstrators marched toward the area near the U.S. Embassy, calling on Washington to immediately release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Police blocked roads around the embassy to prevent protesters from approaching the building, but demonstrators continued to denounce U.S. actions.
"First of all, we oppose U.S. imperialist aggression. This kind of behavior is shameful. The U.S. is attacking a sovereign country, and as [U.S. President Donald] Trump himself has said, this is for oil interests," said protester Giovanni Barbera.
Saturday's rally marked the second large-scale protest in Rome this month against U.S. military operations in Venezuela, following an earlier one on on Jan 3.
Participants included members of multiple political parties, labor unions and social organizations. The protesters held banners reading "Stop imperialist interference" and "Free Maduro," urging the international community to respect Venezuela's sovereignty and the will of its people, and condemning the U.S. for violating international law.
"We are protesting the way the U.S. handles international politics. Since the events of January 3, we have seen violations of international law, and we are very concerned about how the global situation is developing," said protester Stefano De Angelis.
Organizers said solidarity rallies in support of Venezuela were held in 30 Italian cities on the same day.
Meanwhile, similar protests were also staged in Greece. About 200 people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Athens, voicing support for Venezuela and opposition to U.S. military actions.
"We oppose U.S. imperialism and its attack on Venezuela. At the same time, the U.S. is also threatening Cuba, Mexico and Greenland. We must stand up against this behavior," said Greek protester Argiro Sirmakezi.
Protesters rally in Italy, Greece against U.S. military operation in Venezuela
