Russia’s military said Ukraine launched dozens of drones over western and southern Russia overnight, causing minimal damage and casualties.
The Defense Ministry on March 9 claimed that 47 drones in all were intercepted or downed over the Rostov, Kursk, Belgorod, and Volgograd regions. Local officials said an emergency worker was slightly wounded, possibly by falling debris.
Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine
RFE/RL's Ukraine Live Briefing gives you the latest developments on Russia's invasion, Western military aid, the plight of civilians, and territorial control maps. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.
One drone attack was reported at a facility in Taganrog, where A-50 command surveillance planes are maintained.
Two A-50 planes have been allegedly downed by Ukrainian forces in recent months. The planes help provide airborne guidance for Russian jets and ships, firing missiles at targets in Ukraine.
Ukraine made no comment on the drone flights but did report downing a dozen Russian drones over central Ukrainian regions. No casualties were reported.
Russia also claimed on March 9 that it had shot down a Ukrainian fighter jet over the eastern Donetsk region. Ukraine also had no comment on the claim about the MiG-29 jet.
Russian forces are making slow, steady gains in several places in Ukraine. Last month, Ukrainian troops withdrew from the industrial city of Avdiyivka after months of armored and infantry assaults. Since then, Russian units have pushed gradually west.
In the town of Chasiv Yar, west of the city of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russian troops last year, a Ukrainian man was killed overnight by Russian shelling, local authorities said.
Vadym Filashkin, the regional military administrator, said at least two apartment buildings were damaged in the shelling and at least one other person was wounded.
In the Nikopol district of the Dnipropetrovsk region, a 16-year-old boy was killed as a result of Russian shelling, regional military administrator Serhiy Lysak said.
Elsewhere, Poland's foreign minister said the presence of NATO forces in Ukraine “is not unthinkable” and that he appreciated the French president for not ruling out that idea.
SEE ALSO: Biden Vows To 'Stand Up To Putin' In State Of The Union AddressRadek Sikorski made the observation March 8 during a discussion in the Polish parliament. The Foreign Ministry later tweeted the comments in English.
Last month French President Emmanuel Macron said the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out.
French officials later sought to clarify Macron’s remarks and tamp down the backlash, while insisting on the need to send a clear signal to Russia that it cannot win its war in Ukraine.
The Kremlin has warned that if NATO sends combat troops, a direct conflict between the alliance and Russia would be inevitable.