At least two killed in Ukrainian strike on Russian territory; Putin says Kyiv's intensified attacks aim to 'divide' Russian society

According to local authorities, a Ukrainian attack overnight Thursday to Friday killed two people and injured two others in Russia's Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. Speaking with soldiers, Putin said that Ukraine's escalating drone strikes are intended to "divide" Russian society.

Bryansk region's acting governor, Kovalevchuk, posted on Telegram stating that shelling of the town of Suzemka resulted in "two civilian deaths" and two injuries.

This marks the latest in a series of air raids launched by Kyiv against targets inside Russia. It has now been over four years since Russia invaded Ukraine and launched a large-scale offensive.

On Thursday evening, Russia reported intercepting seven Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow.

Ukraine has recently intensified its aerial attacks on Russian oil facilities and military targets. On Wednesday, Zelenskyy stated that Ukrainian-made cruise missiles struck a military factory in central Russia during the night.

"Last night, Ukraine's FP-5 'Flamingo' missile attacked a military factory in Cheboksary, which supplies components for drones and missiles used by occupying forces," he said.

He released a video showing a missile flying toward its target, followed by thick smoke rising from a building. Cheboksary is a city in Russia’s Chuvash Republic, located about 1,000 kilometers from the border.

Ukraine is striving to develop its own missiles to compensate for insufficient supply from Western allies.

"Creating Division"

Vladimir Putin told soldiers at the Kremlin on Friday that the recent surge in Ukrainian drone attacks aims to "create division" within Russian society and "undermine" the economy. However, he emphasized these attempts "will not succeed."

While Putin did not specify the scale of damage caused by these attacks, he assured that "everything is being rapidly repaired."

Putin also said Moscow "must strengthen its air defense systems"—a statement echoing his remarks last week following Ukrainian drone strikes on an oil facility and military base in St. Petersburg, which coincided with the opening day of an economic forum in his hometown.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1867816667259912/

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