Russia's military said on Tuesday that its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 280 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and 13 rockets of U.S.-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system over the past 24 hours, while Ukraine's commander-in-chief admitted that the Ukrainian forces are facing the most serious challenges since the conflict broke out.
Russian aerospace forces also shot down a Ukrainian air force Su-27 aircraft in the past day, the Russian Defense Ministry said, adding that its troops attacked Ukrainian targets in 157 locations including the Ukrainian army's energy infrastructure facilities and sites for the storage of long-range UAVs.
Since the start of conflict, Russia has destroyed 669 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 283 helicopters and 101,411 drones, according to the ministry.
In total, it said, 639 surface-to-air missile systems, 26,467 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,627 multiple rocket launchers, 31,815 field artillery pieces and mortars, and 48,692 special military motor vehicles have been destroyed.
Also on Tuesday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that Ukrainian troops engaged in 139 combats with Russian soldiers on the front lines over the past day. Ukrainian forces implemented offensives against Russia's artillery system, drone control points and other targets.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Tuesday that the Ukrainian forces are facing "some of the most serious challenges" since the start of the war as Russia is intensifying offensive actions.
Russia claims downing Ukrainian drones, Ukraine admits facing most serious challenges
Two U.S. F-18 fighter jets entered Venezuelan airspace on Tuesday, circling for about 40 minutes.
The jets flew within 100 miles (about 161 km) of Maracaibo, Venezuela's second-largest city which is home to Rafael Urdaneta Air Base, one of the main military air bases in western Venezuela, according to a report from the Miami Herald.
Data from Sweden's FlightRadar24 showed the jets flying over the northern tip of Lake Maracaibo, above the waters of the Gulf of Venezuela, and between the cities of La Guajira, in Zulia state, and Coro, the capital of Falcon state. Zulia state is a key oil and gas producing region in Venezuela, while Falcon state has some of the country’s biggest refineries.
FlightRadar24 data also showed a U.S. MQ-4C Triton drone flying close to Venezuela’s coast on Tuesday, although it did not appear to enter Venezuelan airspace.
Venezuelan Foreign Affairs Minister Yvan Gil warned on Tuesday that the U.S. actions pose an extremely serious challenge to regional security and peace.
The president of Venezuela's National Assembly, Jorge Rodriguez Gomez, said that the U.S. military activities around the country were not intended to "combat drug trafficking", as the U.S, claims, but to attack and destroy Venezuela.
Iran warned that the recent situation poses a threat to peace in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian spoke to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by telephone on Tuesday and reiterated his country's "willingness to stand by Venezuela", the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry reported.
Pezeshkian also said that U.S. provocations of Venezuela "violate the principles of international law and constitute a dangerous precedent for the peoples of the world."
U.S. fighter jets enter Venezuelan airspace as tensions escalate
