The war in Ukraine has been raging for 539 days. In the Kaluga region of Russia, three Ukrainian drones were downed overnight, no casualties reported. CNN posted a new video of the 17 July attack on the Crimean Bridge which killed two. The journalists claim that the Ukrainian Security Service had shared the footage with them. In the Volgograd region of Russia, a former Wagner mercenary was put on the wanted list for allegedly raping a minor.

Read about what happened during the early hours of 16 August in Novaya-Europe’s round-up.

Three drones downed over Kaluga region

Three Ukrainian drones were downed in the Kaluga region of Russia this morning, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday.

“Today at around 5 AM Moscow time, Russia foiled an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack by three unmanned aerial vehicles on facilities in Kaluga region,” the statement reads.

According to the ministry, Russian air defence systems detected and shot down all UAVs in time. There were no injuries or damages reported.

Kaluga region Governor Vladislav Shapsha later confirmed that there were no victims.

CNN posts new footage of sea drone attack on Crimean Bridge

CNN posted a video showing the moment of the 17 July attack on the Crimean Bridge. The journalists claim that the Ukrainian Security Service had shared the footage with them.

Head of the service Vasyl Maliuk told CNN that the Sea Baby drone, the result of months-long development that started after the invasion, had been used for the attack.

“Sea surface drones are a unique invention of the Security Service of Ukraine. None of the private companies are involved. Using these drones we have recently conducted a successful hit of the Crimean bridge, the big assault ship Olengorskiy Gornyak and SIG tanker,” he said.

The security service shared a video of the July attack with CNN which shows the pilot’s screen some moments before the Sea Baby “delivered up to 850 kilograms of explosives to one of the bridge’s concrete support pillars”. Sources within the security service also provided CNN with two security camera videos that captured the moment of the attack.

In the early hours of 17 July, one of the sections of the Crimean Bridge was damaged in a drone attack that killed two. A married couple and their underage daughter were driving down the bridge at the moment of the blast, only the daughter survived.

Former Wagner member put on wanted list for allegedly raping minor

Alexey Khlebnikov, a 36-year-old former convict recruited by the Wagner Group to fight in the war in Ukraine, was put on the federal wanted list on suspicion of raping a 13-year-old girl, Volgograd region media outlet V1.ru reported on Wednesday.

According to the journalists, at first messages looking for the man appeared on local Volgograd chats and groups. Local residents say that Khlebnikov had raped an underage girl.

V1.ru learnt that the victim had gone through an examination. Law enforcement press service did not release any information about the man being put on the wanted list.

Khlebnikov was convicted twice before: he was found guilty of robbery and assault in 2008 and car theft and murder of the car owner in 2018. He was sentenced to 11 years in a strict-regime penal colony.