Russia’s Defense Ministry reported Thursday destroying Ukrainian drones over two Russian regions east and northeast of Moscow, areas not typically targeted by Ukrainian forces.
The Russian ministry said on Telegram it shot down three aerial drones over the Yaroslavl region and another drone over the Vladimir region.
Mikhail Yevrayev, the regional governor of Yaroslavl, said on Telegram there were no injuries and no damage from the falling drone debris.
Ukraine more commonly focuses its drone attacks on Russian regions that border Ukraine.
Belgorod, which sits across the border from Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, is among the most often targeted and is 600 kilometers (372.8 miles) from Vladimir.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram a Ukrainian drone attack Thursday struck a car and injured two people.
The latest Ukrainian attacks came as Ukrainian officials appealed for military aid at two international meetings.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in Italy to speak with leaders from the G7 group of leading industrial nations. He said Ukraine’s priorities included pilot training, accelerating deliveries of fighter jets, and boosting Ukraine’s ability to carry out long-range strikes.
On Thursday, G7 leaders agreed to an outline of a deal to provide $50 billion to Ukraine using interest from Russian sovereign assets that were frozen after Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022.
U.S. President Joe Biden told reporters that the agreement was “another reminder to [Russian President Vladimir Putin] that we’re not backing down.”
The details of the agreement will be finalized in the coming weeks, and the money is expected to reach Ukraine by the end of this year.
“This is a very clear commitment that should embolden the Ukrainians to do what they need to defend their independence and sovereignty,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.
Biden and Zelenskyy also signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement on Thursday that seeks to help Kyiv get closer to NATO membership.
“Today is a truly historic day,” Zelenskyy said at a joint news conference with Biden.
The deal would also work to enhance Ukraine’s defense against Moscow.
“Our goal is to strengthen Ukraine’s credible defense and deterrence capabilities for the long term,” Biden said at the news conference.
In Brussels, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov was meeting with NATO defense ministers.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that he expects allies to be making announcements in the coming days and weeks about air defense systems for Ukraine.
He said the defense ministers would be addressing Ukraine’s urgent needs for more supplies and ammunition, and that they would discuss plans for NATO security assistance and training for Ukraine.
Also at the meeting of NATO defense ministers on Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Moscow’s advance in the Kharkiv area has been slowing after some of Ukraine’s allies, including the United States, waived restrictions on Ukraine’s use of donated weapons on Russian territory.
“What I see is a slowing of the Russians’ advance and a stabilizing of that particular piece of the front," said Austin. "Now, I think we’ll see incremental gains — and we’ll see puts and takes — going forward.”
Some information in this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.
