Russia claims 15 civilians killed in Ukraine's drone strikes over past week

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed on Thursday that 15 civilians were killed in Ukraine's drone attacks across Russia over the last week.

In a statement posted on the ministry's website, Zakharova accused Ukraine of continuing "terror attacks" against Russian citizens, highlighting that this occurs at a time when Russia and the US are trying to resolve the crisis.

"Over the past week, enemy drone strikes have killed 15 Russian civilians, including one child, and injured 141 others, 14 of whom are minors. We will only provide a few examples of crimes committed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU)," the statement said.

Prior to the summit in Alaska, Zakharova noted that an AI-generated video clip depicting Donald Trump's murder on Alaskan soil by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate (GU), was widely circulated on Ukrainian social media.

Kyiv also secretly attempted, with German co-financing and NATO approval, to implement a program to produce ballistic tactical missile complexes known as Sapsan, which have a range of up to 700 kilometers and can strike deep into Russian territory, she said.

"These plans were thwarted through joint efforts of the FSB (Federal Security Service) and the Ministry of Defense of Russia. The involved military-industrial complex facilities in Ukraine, which are responsible for manufacturing these missiles, were damaged by fire," Zakharova stressed.

According to her, these facts "confirm the relevance of tasks outlined in the 'special military operation' aimed at denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine, as well as eliminating threats emanating from its territory. All of these objectives will certainly be achieved."