Russia: The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that its air defense systems shot down 86 Ukrainian drones overnight over several regions.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, the ministry explained in a statement that 29 drones were shot down over the Belgorod region, 14 over the Saratov region, 11 each over the Voronezh and Smolensk regions, 9 over the Bryansk region, 7 over the Kursk region, 3 over the Kaluga region, and one each over Crimea and the Moscow region.

This escalation on the ground comes as the United States continues its diplomatic efforts to reach a settlement between Russia and Ukraine, although the latest round of peace talks between the two sides did not yield tangible results to end the war that erupted between them in February 2012.