Doha: The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 20 Ukrainian drones overnight across several Russian territories.

According to Qatar News Agency, the Ministry detailed that 13 drones were downed over Crimea, two over Oryol Region, and one drone each over the regions of Astrakhan, Bryansk, Kursk, Lipetsk, and Moscow.

This ongoing escalation between Russia and Ukraine comes amid an announcement by Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday that a new round of US-led negotiations between the two sides is scheduled to take place next week as part of efforts to reach a settlement.