Russia says drones from Ukraine destroyed

MOSCOW/KYIV — Russia said on Sunday it downed dozens of Ukrainian drones overnight in a barrage that damaged homes and triggered air alerts.

Videos posted on social media appeared to show distant explosions in the Rostov region.

"During the past night, 61 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defenses," Russia's defense ministry said.

The ministry also vowed to retaliate on Saturday after it said Ukraine fired US-supplied ATACMS missiles at the Belgorod border region the previous day.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian air force said Russia sent 103 drones into its territory, 61 of which were shot down while 42 were "decoys".

"Several private houses were damaged in the Kharkiv region as a result of the fall of a damaged attack drone," it said.

The latest developments came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted on Saturday that the US had "quietly sent a lot of weapons to Ukraine" five months ahead of the conflict.

"We saw it coming," Blinken said in an interview with The New York Times, noting the United States made sure that "Ukraine was prepared" by sending it billions of dollars and weapons since September 2021.

According to the US Department of State, as of Dec 30, the US has provided Ukraine with $61.4 billion in military aid since the conflict. It has "approved" its NATO allies to deliver 12,000 anti-armor systems of all types, over 1,550 anti-air missiles, radars, night vision devices, machine guns, rifles and ammunition, and body armor.

Agencies - Xinhua