The Ukrainian armed forces successfully intercepted five drones during a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks on multiple Ukrainian regions in the early hours of August 4.
Mykola Oleshchuk, commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, announced on Facebook that the Iranian-made Shahed-type drones were downed in the Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Kirovohrad, and Zaporizhzhya regions. These drones were reportedly launched from an air base in Russia’s Krasnodar region.
In addition to the drones, Russia fired two S-300 antiaircraft guided missiles and two Kh-59 guided missiles, according to Ukrainian sources.
Kherson Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported that 15 people, including a child, were injured in Russian shelling on August 3.
Despite evidence to the contrary, Russia continues to deny targeting civilians in its ongoing conflict with Ukraine. The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission has reported at least 11,284 Ukrainian civilian deaths since the invasion began in February 2022, with the actual number likely being higher.
In Russia, authorities have initiated a campaign to encourage enlistment with the Defense Ministry. Text messages are being sent to potential recruits, offering 800,000 rubles ($9,400) for signing a contract. This initiative, first reported by Russian media in June, includes additional regional payments ranging from 1.12 million rubles ($13,200) in Komi to 1.7 million rubles ($20,000) in Leningrad.
This recruitment effort aims to bolster Russia’s military forces without formally declaring a mobilization, which could lead to public discontent. Ahead of the December 2023 presidential election, President Vladimir Putin assured that there would be no new mobilization announcements, citing that “half a million” soldiers were already on the front lines.
