Russia’s Saratov regional airport lifted flight curbs on Monday imposed after homes were damaged as a result of Ukraine’s drone attack that wounded a woman, Russian officials and news agencies said.
The lifting of the curbs at the Saratov regional airport, at about 9:30 a.m. (0530 GMT), was reported by Russia’s RIA news agency, which had earlier reported the clampdown, citing the airport’s press service.
A residential complex in the city had been damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russia’s air defense systems, regional governor Roman Basurgin said on the Telegram messaging app.
“A woman was hospitalized in serious condition,” Basurgin said. “Doctors are fighting for her life.”
Russia’s defense ministry said its air defense systems destroyed nine drones over the Saratov region, which lies some 900 kilometers (560 miles) away from the border with Ukraine.
Earlier, Basurgin said emergency services had fanned out at affected sites in Saratov and Engels, key cities in the region several hundred kilometers southeast of the capital.
Russia has a strategic bomber military base in Engels that Ukraine has attacked numerous times since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in Feb. 2022.
There was no immediate information on damage at the base, or the scale of the Ukrainian attack on the region, which is several hundred kilometers away from the border with Ukraine.
Video posted on Telegram by the Russian news SHOT channel showed what it identified as a high-rise residential building in Saratov, with a damaged side and several windows blown out across three floors.
In Engels, the top floor of a residential building was damaged, it added.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine. Both sides deny targeting civilians in their attacks, which they say aim to destroy infrastructure key to war efforts.
Russia’s Saratov airport lifts flight curbs after Ukraine drone attack
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Russia’s Saratov airport lifts flight curbs after Ukraine drone attack
- A residential complex in the city had been damaged by falling debris from drones destroyed by Russia’s air defense systems
- Air defense systems destroyed nine drones over the Saratov region, which lies some 900km away from the Ukraine border
Kyiv ready for talks ‘next week’ with US over Russia proposals: Zelensky
- “Ukraine is ready to work in all working formats,” said Zelensky.
- “It is important that there are results and that the meetings take place“
KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday his negotiators were waiting to hear from the United States on further meetings about ending the war with Russia.
Zelensky’s remarks in his evening address appeared to suggest that a second round of talks scheduled to start in Abu Dhabi on Sunday between US, Russian and Ukrainian officials on ending the fighting had been postponed.
“Ukraine is ready to work in all working formats,” said Zelensky.
“It is important that there are results and that the meetings take place. We are counting on meetings next week and are preparing for them.”
Zelensky was speaking as US envoy Steve Witkoff said he had had “productive and constructive” talks with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev in Florida on Saturday.
Teams from Ukraine and Russia met Friday and Saturday last week in Abu Dhabi in their first in-person negotiations on a plan being pushed by President Donald Trump to end the war.
They had agreed to resume talks there on Sunday.
On Thursday however, Zelensky suggested that the date and venue could change given the current tensions between Washington and Tehran.
The US says both sides are close to a deal, but they have so far been unable to find a compromise on the key issue of territory in a post-war settlement, according to Kyiv.
