Ukrainian drone strikes in the southwestern Kursk region killed one man and injured a firefighter, regional authorities said Friday afternoon.
Kursk region Governor Alexander Khinshtein said the 57-year-old civilian man was riding his bike when the drone struck and killed him, around 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with northeastern Ukraine’s Sumy region.
In a separate drone attack on Kursk the same day, a firefighter was hospitalized with burn wounds, Khinshtein added.
Russia’s Defense Ministry did not report any Ukrainian drone attacks during the day on Friday, but it did say nearly 20 unmanned aircraft were destroyed in the skies above annexed Crimea and the Black Sea between the morning and early afternoon.
In an earlier statement, the Defense Ministry said 77 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Crimea, the Black Sea and seven Russian regions overnight.
Both Ukraine and Russia regularly launch drone and missile attacks at each other’s territory, with officials in Kyiv justifying their strikes as retaliation for Russia’s full-scale invasion and ongoing occupation of Ukrainian territory.
In particular, Ukraine has intensified strikes on Russia’s energy infrastructure since the summer in an effort to cut Moscow’s oil revenues, a key source of funding for its war effort.
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