The Russian military was forced to shoot down its own drones launched towards Ukraine after receiving an order from President Vladimir Putin to temporarily halt strikes on Ukrainian energy facilities. This was officially announced by the Russian Defense Ministry.
The ministry's statement noted that at the time of the order, seven strike drones had been launched by the Russian military towards Ukrainian territory. They were directed at energy facilities located in the Mykolaiv region, which are part of the military-industrial complex.
The Russian Air Defense Forces were ordered to neutralize the drones, and as a result, six of the drones were shot down by Pantsir anti-aircraft missile systems and one by a Russian Air Force fighter jet.
The Defense Ministry said the incident occurred after a telephone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump. The Kremlin announced that after the talks, Putin had ordered a 30-day suspension of strikes on Ukraine's energy system.
The Russian Ministry also reported that a few hours after the agreement, Ukraine had launched three drone strikes on energy infrastructure in the Kavkazskaya station in Krasnodar Territory. The attack damaged an oil tank and caused a fire.
Russia considers the attack a special provocation aimed at undermining US peace initiatives.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported on March 19 that Russian forces had attacked Ukraine with Iskander-M, S-300 missiles, and 145 Shaheed drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for an end to attacks on energy infrastructure, stressing that Ukraine will respond forcefully if such attacks occur.
Zelensky said he had not yet spoken to former US President Trump, but that he wanted to learn more about the agreements with Russia through such talks. “We will not remain silent while Russia attacks our energy facilities. Of course, we will respond,” Zelensky said. Follow “Zamin” news on “Telegram”
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