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Russia’s air defence units have shot down two Ukrainian drones flying over Belgorod and Oryol oblasts as Kyiv increases the pace of its counteroffensive against Moscow’s invasion. The drone attacks come as Ukraine overtook two key villages recently and has stepped up counter attacks on Russia. Drone and missile attacks deep inside Russia and on Russia-controlled territory have shot up drastically in recent months, with the Russian defence ministry blaming the “Kyiv regime” for what it calls “terrorist attacks”. While Ukraine has seldom responded to accusations of attacks, it has expressed satisfaction at the destruction of Russian military infrastructure and critical military sites. The drones were shot down at 10.30pm and 11.45pm local time on Tuesday night, the Russian defence ministry said in two separate posts on its Telegram channel on Wednesday. No immediate damage or casualties in the overnight attacks has been reported by the officials of both regions. It said “an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack by an aircraft-type UAV on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation was stopped”. Kyiv has maintained that destroying Russian military infrastructure far away from the war’s frontlines targets Moscow’s war efforts while aiding Kyiv’s own efforts to reclaim land Russia has occupied. Belgorod, roughly 40km away from the Ukrainian border, has witnessed a wave of attacks in the last two months, with the most seen this month. In return, Russia has continued its campaign of air strikes and shelling across Ukraine. The regional governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, confirmed attacks every day on the territory, stating either unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) dropping ammunition payloads in the region or being shot down by Russia’s active air defences heavily concentrated in the bordering city. A day earlier, Russia claimed its air defences shot down two unspecified aerial targets over Belgorod. The governor said initial reports indicated some damage to power lines but no casualties. Last month, three people were killed in a drone attack in Belgorod after another drone had targeted central Moscow. Read More Zelensky urges Trump to ‘not waste time’ and share proposal on ending Russian invasion of Ukraine Ukraine-Russia war – live: Putin ‘weaponising’ food as troops target cargo ship in Black Sea Ukraine ‘has one month to hold knife to Crimea’s throat’ and force Putin into peace talks Zelensky says ‘Russian society has raised a second Hitler’ in attack on Putin

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Embattled Republican Rep George Santos has said he will not back down as he bizarrely compared himself to civil rights activist Rosa Parks. Mr Santos joined conservative talk show host Mike Crispi and vowed to retaliate against people who criticise him as he faces multiple threats to his time in Congress and his freedom. “They come for me, I go right back for them because I think for far too long they've gotten away with getting along to get along,” he said as he conducted the interview from a car. “So you know, it's not going to stay that way anymore. I'm going to call them out. You want to call me a liar. I'll call you a sellout.” Specifically, he criticised Senator Mitt Romney, who chastised the serial liar when they met at the State of the Union earlier this year and told Mr Santos that he did not belong there. At that point, he compared himself to Parks – the civil rights activist who refused to give her seat up for a white man in Montgomery, Alabama. “Well, guess what Rosa Parks didn't sit in the back and neither am I going to sit in the back,” said Mr Santos. “That's just the reality of how it works. Mitt Romney lives in a very different world. And he needs to buckle up because it's going to be a bumpy ride for him.” Many members of Congress, including his fellow Republicans from New York and beyond, have called on Mr Santos to resign after multiple news reports discovered he fabricated multiple aspects of his personal biography. In May, he was then arrested and surrendered to a federal court in Long Island. The Justice Department charged him with multiple counts of wire fraud, three money laundering counts, one count of public funds theft and two counts of making materially false statements to the House of Representatives. Read More George Santos arrested in New York after surrendering himself to authorities George Santos: Every lie disgraced Republican Congressman has been accused of making DeSantis doubles down on ‘homophobic’ anti-Trump ad: ‘Totally fair game’

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