Moscow, June 20 (IANS) The Russian Defence Ministry on Friday stated that its air defences shot down 61 Ukrainian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) over several Russian regions overnight.
“On-duty air defences intercepted and destroyed 61 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles between 8 pm and 7 am. Moscow time, 22 over the Oryol Region, 14 over the Kursk Region, seven over the Belgorod Region, five over the Voronezh Region, three over the Volgograd Region, three over the Rostov Region, three over the Tula Region, three over the Bryansk Region and one over the Moscow Region, ” read the statement.
The Voronezh Region Governor, Alexander Gusev mentioned on Telegram that the drones had been destroyed over the city of Voronezh and on the region’s border, adding that there were no casualties or damage as per the preliminary reports.
Bryansk Region Governor Alexander Bogomaz stated that there were no casualties or damage in the region. “Response teams are working on the ground, ” Bogomaz wrote on Telegram.
Meanwhile, in an interview with British media outlet Sky News, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has no plans to lose its strategic advantage over Ukraine by agreeing to a ceasefire.
“Now we have a strategic advantage. Why should we lose it? We are not going to lose it. We are going further. We're advancing and we'll continue to advance, ” he stated.
Russia has repeatedly stated that it will only agree to a ceasefire if Kyiv stops receiving foreign military aid, as any pause in hostilities would allow Ukraine to rearm and regroup its forces.
Stressing that Russia would not take advantage of a potential ceasefire, Peskov said, “A ceasefire is a ceasefire, and you stop.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he was ready to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a "final phase" of negotiations, but again questioned his Ukrainian counterpart's legitimacy.
“I am even ready to meet him (Zelensky) but only if it is some kind of final phase, ” he said at a press conference with foreign media in St. Petersburg.
Russia wants to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible, ” preferably through peaceful means, and is ready to continue negotiations, provided that Kyiv and its Western allies are willing to engage, Putin added.
He also added that he is ready to meet with Zelensky and “Russia does not care who represents Ukraine in negotiations, but insists that any final agreement must bear the signature of legitimate authorities”.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators are prepared to resume direct talks after June 22, Putin said.
“I am ready to meet with anyone, including Zelensky, ” the Russian leader said. "That is not the issue. If Ukraine entrusts him to negotiate, let it be Zelensky. The real question is: who will sign any resulting documents? We are not dealing with propaganda here; when it comes to serious matters, what matters is not political messaging but legal legitimacy, ” he added.
Putin also said that if no peaceful resolution is reached, Russia will pursue its objectives in Ukraine by military means.
“Undoubtedly, if we fail to reach an agreement through peaceful negotiations, we will achieve our goals by military means, ” he added.
He reiterated that the aim of Russia's special military operation is the demilitarisation of Ukraine, depriving it of the capacity to maintain military forces that could endanger Russia.