Russia claims seizing more Ukrainian settlements, Ukraine says downing 1396 Russian drones

Russia said Saturday that its forces had taken control of eight more settlements in Ukraine, while Ukraine, on the same day, said it downed 1,396 Russian drones.

In a daily report, the Russian Defense Ministry said that over the 24 hours, the Russian forces seized eight Ukrainian settlements in areas including the Kharkiv region, and struck Ukrainian military transport infrastructure, drone storage sites, and temporary deployment points.

It also said that the Russian air defense systems downed 654 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones and a HIMARS rocket, and that Russia's Black Sea Fleet destroyed a Ukrainian naval unmanned boat in the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said that in the early hours of Saturday, Russian forces used high-precision land-, air-, and sea-based weapons and attack drones to launch large-scale strikes on metallurgical plants, transformer factories, and energy facilities in Ukraine's city of Kryvyi Rih, the Zaporizhzhia region, and the Zhytomyr region that provide support to the Ukrainian military.

The ministry also said the Russian forces struck a dry cargo ship transporting military supplies to Ukraine's Odesa port in the Black Sea.

Also on Saturday, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said that over the past day, Ukraine's air force, missile units, and artillery struck targets including Russian troop concentrations and drone command posts, destroying one Russian tank, two armored vehicles, and 1,396 drones, among other weapons and equipment.

The Ukrainian air force said Saturday that from Friday night to Saturday morning, its air defense forces intercepted 293 aerial targets, including four Kalibr cruise missiles and 289 drones of various types.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia used more than 320 drones and various types of missiles to attack Ukraine's energy facilities and multiple cities and communities, with more than 15 key power generation and transmission facilities across Ukraine being hit.

Zelensky said that Russia is trying to disrupt Ukraine's energy supply before winter and cause widespread power outages.

Russia claims seizing more Ukrainian settlements, Ukraine says downing 1396 Russian drones

China has launched a series of agritech aid and cooperation programs in the Republic of the Congo under its global initiatives over the past week to help local farmers increase yield and income.

On Thursday, a day ahead of the World Food Day, a joint laboratory on modern agricultural technology between China and the Republic of the Congo under the Belt and Road Initiative was officially inaugurated.

The lab is expected to serve as a new platform for the two countries to deepen agricultural research cooperation and promote the application of modern agricultural technologies, officials said.

"China is providing us with significant and decisive support, and the joint laboratory will be a key driver for us to master the necessary knowledge and skills more quickly, address existing shortcomings, and make significant progress especially in biotechnology field," said Rigobert Maboundou, minister of Scientific Research and Technological Innovation of the Republic of the Congo.

An expo on China-Africa agricultural innovation and technology opened on Wednesday in Brazzaville, featuring a photo exhibition of the outcomes of China-Africa agricultural projects, as well as innovative agricultural technologies and products.

Representatives from China and the Republic of the Congo also toured local farm fields. With the assistance of Chinese agricultural experts, the introduction and promotion of advanced cultivation techniques have tripled the local yield of cassava, a key food crop in the region.

"We are putting into practice the agricultural training techniques we learned here in our production. Now, Chinese agricultural technology has taught us how to farm, how to do it better, and how to improve the yield and quality of our agricultural products," said Guy Ndombolo, a local farmer.

China helps African farmers increase yield via agritech programs