Current:Home > ContactPutin marks anniversary of annexation of Ukrainian regions as drones attack overnight -Infinite Edge Learning
Putin marks anniversary of annexation of Ukrainian regions as drones attack overnight
View
Date:2025-04-14 21:32:55
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday insisted that the residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed a year ago “made their choice — to be with their Fatherland.”
In an address released in the early hours to mark the first anniversary of the annexation, Putin insisted that it was carried out “in full accordance with international norms.” He also claimed that residents of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions had again expressed their desire to be part of Russia in local elections earlier this month, in which Russia’s Central Election Commission said that the country’s ruling party won the most votes.
The West has denounced both the referendum votes carried out last year and the recent ballots as a sham. The votes were held as Russian authorities attempted to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.
A concert was held in Red Square on Friday to mark the anniversary, but Putin did not participate.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, air defenses shot down 30 out of 40 Iranian-made kamikaze drones aimed at the Odesa, Mykolaiv and Vinnytsia provinces overnight, the Ukrainian air force said Saturday.
Vinnytsia regional Gov. Serhii Borzov said that air defenses shot down 20 drones over his central Ukrainian region, but that a “powerful fire” broke out in the town of Kalynivka when a drone struck an unspecified infrastructure facility.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defense said on Saturday that a possible unauthorized entry into its national airspace occurred overnight amid the bombardment.
It said the radar surveillance system of the Romanian Army detected “a possible unauthorized entry” into the national airspace of NATO member Romania, with a signal detected toward the city of Galati, which is close to the border with Ukraine.
“At this moment, no objects have been identified that fell from the airspace onto the national territory,” the statement read, adding that NATO allies were informed in real time and that searches will continue through Saturday.
Emergency authorities issued text message alerts overnight to residents living in the counties of Galati and Tulcea, after detecting what the defense ministry said was “groups of drones heading toward Ukrainian territory” near the border.
In recent weeks, Romania has found drone fragments on its soil from the war next door at least three times as Russian forces carry out sustained attacks on Ukraine’s Danube ports.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said Saturday that it had shot down nine Ukrainian rockets fired at its southern Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine. Local officials in Russia’s Bryansk region, also bordering Ukraine, reported disruptions to power supply following an unspecified attack on the town of Pogar. Drone strikes and shelling in the Russian border regions are a regular occurrence.
___
AP writers Stephen McGrath in Sighisoara, Romania, and Elise Morton in London contributed to this report.
___
Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
veryGood! (1977)
Related
- Don't let hackers fool you with a 'scam
- Gas prices fall under 3 bucks a gallon at majority of U.S. stations
- These 20 Shopper-Loved Cleaning Essentials Will Have Your Home Saying, New Year, New Me
- These 20 Shopper-Loved Cleaning Essentials Will Have Your Home Saying, New Year, New Me
- What to watch: O Jolie night
- How common are earthquakes on the East Coast? Small explosions reported after NYC quake
- Extreme cold grips the Nordics, with the coldest January night in Sweden, as floods hit to the south
- Horoscopes Today, January 2, 2024
- Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
- How to Watch the 2024 Golden Globes Ceremony on TV and Online
Ranking
- Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
- Extreme cold grips the Nordics, with the coldest January night in Sweden, as floods hit to the south
- 'Steamboat Willie' Mickey Mouse is in a horror movie trailer. Blame the public domain
- South Korean police raid house of suspect who stabbed opposition leader Lee in the neck
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Men staged string of armed robberies so 'victims' could get immigration benefits, feds say
- Missing NC teen found concealed under Kentucky man's home through trap door hidden by rug: Police
- Ex-NBA G League player, former girlfriend to face charges together in woman’s killing in Vegas
Recommendation
NFL Week 15 picks straight up and against spread: Bills, Lions put No. 1 seed hopes on line
What 2024's leap year status means
Gypsy Rose Blanchard is free, reflects on prison term for conspiring to kill her abusive mother
Michigan, Washington bring contrast of styles to College Football Playoff title game
A South Texas lawmaker’s 15
Australia launches inquiry into why Cabinet documents relating to Iraq war remain secret
Interested in fan fiction? Here’s what you need to know to start.
Ex-NBA G League player, former girlfriend to face charges together in woman's killing in Vegas