Russian air defense system intercepted and shot down 269 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions in 12 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
During the day, from 08:00 to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 269 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones, the ministry said in a statement.
A day earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that over the past 40 days, the Ukrainian Armed Forces had persistently launched attacks on Russian civilian and logistics facilities using missiles and drones, which he described as "another gamble" by Ukraine and its Western backers aimed at inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
Putin said that Russian troops were not only continuing offensives along all fronts but also stepping up military pressure, and expressed confidence in accomplishing the goals of the special military operation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that Ukraine expects 30 billion euros from the European Union (EU) this year to help fund its fiscal deficit, while the country faces 27 billion U.S. dollars of defense budget deficit.
He also said that holding elections is impossible under the country's current conditions, adding that elections right now would be a tsunami for the country that would tear Ukraine apart.
His strategy is to bring the country to the end of the war and preserve an independent and sovereign state, Zelensky told reporters.
Ukraine would be ready to discuss holding possible elections only if its partners provide specific guarantees that the vote could be held safely, legitimately and democratically, without strikes or shelling, Zelensky said.
Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov recently said that Ukraine should find a legal and safe way to hold elections even during the conflict.
A presidential election was expected to be held in 2024 but was postponed due to the country's martial law, which has been in effect since the escalation of the Ukraine crisis.
Russia downs 269 Ukrainian drones; Ukraine faces 27 bln US dollars defense budget deficit
Russia downs 269 Ukrainian drones; Ukraine faces 27 bln US dollars defense budget deficit
Japanese citizens gathered in Tokyo on Friday to protest against the government's attempt to breach the country's long-standing "Three Non-nuclear Principles," urging it to uphold its anti-nuclear commitment and oppose military expansion.
The protest came after Japanese media reported on Thursday that the government was considering explicitly including exceptions to the principles in its revised National Security Strategy, scheduled for the end of the year.
Japan's Three Non-Nuclear Principles stipulate that the country will not possess, produce, or permit the introduction of nuclear weapons. The current National Security Strategy, one of the country's three key security documents, explicitly states that Japan's basic policy of adhering to the principles will remain unchanged.
Protesters expressed concern that introducing exceptions would effectively undermine the principles and gradually weaken restrictions on nuclear weapons.
"Such a move is very machiavellian and disgraceful. I believe that under no circumstances should nuclear weapons be allowed into Japan. I also oppose incorporating such provisions as new clauses into the Three Non-nuclear Principles. Once this practice is accepted, the restrictions will gradually be loosened, eventually becoming uncontrollable," said a protester.
Other protesters said that the government's reported move to reconsider the non-nuclear principles is a deviation away from Japan's postwar pacifist commitment.
They also criticized the country's growing defense spending.
"Japan was defeated in the war and subsequently formulated the Constitution, which explicitly stipulates that Japan renounces the use of force. Japan thus became a country that will no longer wage a war. But now Japan's defense budget has increased by big margins every year, and there are moves to allow nuclear weapons into the country. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has even proposed reviewing the Three Non-nuclear Principles, a national policy that people across the country have upheld tighter all along. I find the current government's stance very disappointing," said another protester.
"Japan has always followed the Constitution of the country and formulated and adhered to the 'Three Non-Nuclear Principles' in accordance with it. But now the Takaichi administration is trying to breach this principle, and I oppose this. In the final analysis, I simply cannot feel at ease if Japan possesses nuclear weapons," said a protester.
Japanese rally against attempt to breach "Three Non-Nuclear Principles"
