Russia releases drone wreckage from attempted attack on Putin's residence

MOSCOW, Dec. 31 (Xinhua) -- Russia's Ministry of Defense on Wednesday released a flight map and video footage showing the wreckage of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) used in an attempted attack on the official residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

At a regular briefing, the ministry presented footage of the intercepted drones, showing black UAV fragments, wooden structural components and red electrical wiring scattered in the snow at the interception sites.

The ministry also published a detailed flight map tracing the drones' routes. According to the map, the UAVs were launched from Ukraine's Sumy and Chernihiv regions, with some flying over Russia's Bryansk, Smolensk and Tver regions before being destroyed.

The map indicates that part of the drones followed a near-direct eastward route, while others took a longer path, flying close to the Russia-Belarus border through the Bryansk and Smolensk regions and later near the border between the Tver and Pskov regions.

Interception points marked on the map show that the drones were downed over the Bryansk, Smolensk and Novgorod regions, the ministry said.

The ministry added that the attempted attack occurred overnight between Sunday and Monday, caused no casualties, and resulted in no damage to Russian territory or the presidential residence. ■