Russia downs Ukrainian drones, Ukraine hits Russian military airfield

Russia on Thursday announced that its forces shot down more than 200 Ukrainian drones, while the Ukrainian side reported attack on a Russian military airfield over the past 24 hours.

According to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defense on Thursday, Russian troops targeted Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure, command posts, drone storage facilities, military trains carrying ammunition and weapons, and troop and equipment concentrations across 153 areas in the past 24 hours. It also noted that the Russian army repelled Ukrainian attacks in directions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia, and struck on the Ukrainian personnel and equipment.

The ministry also highlighted the Russian air defense forces interception of 225 Ukrainian drones. In the Kursk region, Russian forces claimed to have destroyed Ukrainian weaponry and two drone control points.

On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces announced that a special forces unit of the Ukrainian Security Service launched a drone attack in cooperation with other defense agencies on the Engels military airfield in Russia's Saratov region earlier the day.

The very airfield is a crucial hub for Russia's strategic aviation deployment with Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers to launch strikes against targets inside Ukraine. The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reported that the attack caused an explosion and a fire at the airfield, followed by a secondary explosion.

Governor of Russia's Saratov region Roman Busargin confirmed Thursday that the cities of Saratov and Engels had experienced the most intense drone attack overnight. He stated that 10 people were injured as a result of the attacks. A fire was reported near an airport in Engels, and nearby residents were evacuated.

Russia downs Ukrainian drones, Ukraine hits Russian military airfield

Chinese President Xi Jinping's special envoy Peng Qinghua on Friday attended the inauguration of Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia.

Peng, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China, also met with President Nandi-Ndaitwah to discuss bilateral relations.

During their meeting, Peng conveyed Xi's warm congratulations on and best wishes for Nandi-Ndaitwah's inauguration and the 35th anniversary of Namibia's independence, which coincided with the inauguration. Peng highlighted the profound traditional friendship between China and Namibia, noting that this year also marks the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Peng said China is willing to take this opportunity to continue close high-level exchanges with Namibia, enhance political mutual trust, deepen practical cooperation and bolster international coordination, so as to carry forward the China-Namibia comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership for the benefit of the two peoples.

Nandi-Ndaitwah thanked Xi for sending a special envoy to attend her inauguration and asked Peng to convey her cordial greetings to the Chinese president. She spoke highly of Namibia-China relations, thanked China for its long-standing support and assistance to Namibia, and expressed the hope for the deepening of the friendly cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Dignitaries and representatives from nearly 30 countries and international and regional organizations attended the inauguration.

Xi's special envoy attends inauguration of Namibian president