‘Shut up’ about counteroffensive, Kyiv tells West – DW – 09/01/2023

Air defense systems brought down an object that was flying in the western Russian region of Pskov, local officials said on Friday.

Governor Mikhail Vedernikov said defense units “neutralized an unidentified object” overnight.

Russian state media posted a grainy video that appeared to show shots being fired in the air.

Vedernikov said there was no damage on the ground. The report could not be independently verified.

Earlier this week, a suspected Ukrainian drone attack in the same region hit and damaged Russian military transport aircraft.

Ukrainian forces used 16 drones made of cardboard to launch an attack on the military section of a Russian airport, Ukrainian media reported.

The attack took place on Saturday night in the Russian border region of Kursk.

The cardboard drones, which are more difficult for air defense radars to locate, were used in the attack, sources within Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service told local media.

Several Russian fighter planes and air defense systems were reportedly damaged in the attack.

Ukrainian forces reportedly acquired Australian-made lightweight drones in the spring. The devices are constructed with cardboard and rubber bands.

Authorities in the United States charged a 33-year-old man on Thursday with trying to export electronics to Russia for military use.

The man, a Russian-German national, was arrested in Cyprus last Saturday.

The US Justice Department said the suspect violated export controls by trying to obtain US-made microelectronics for a Russian company. The firm provides “critical electronics components” for the Russian military, according to US officials.

The man used a cover company in Cyprus, telling US companies that the tech would only be used in authorized countries.

He sought to purchase microcontrollers with integrated circuits that are illegal to export to Russia.

The man could face up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

rs/sms (AP, AFP, Reuters, DPA)