Putin raises alarm after drone attack 60 miles from Moscow; Russia death toll surpasses all wars since WWII: Ukraine live updates

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered officials to tighten control of Ukraine’s border after a spate of drone strikes targeted regions inside Russia – with one drone crashing just 60 miles from Moscow.

The Ukrainian authorities have not claimed responsibility for the attacks, but have previously claimed the right to conduct such advances to repel the invasion.

Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region early Tuesday, local governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said in a Telegram post. He said there were no injuries. Three drones also targeted Russia’s Belgorod region along the border, and one flew through an apartment window in the eponymous capital, local authorities reported.

Moscow Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov said the drone in the Moscow area appeared to have aimed at a Gazprom gas distribution facility but failed to hit it.

“There are no casualties or destruction on the ground,” he said on Telegram. “There is no risk to the safety of local residents.”

Developments:

►Air raid alerts disrupted TV and radio programs in several Russian regions on Tuesday. The Russian Emergencies Ministry said in an online statement that the announcement was a hoax attributed to hacking.

►At least two civilians were killed and 17 others wounded by renewed Russian shelling in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and surrounding villages, Ukrainian authorities said on Tuesday.

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The death toll in Russia exceeds all of its wars since World War II

According to a new study, more than 60,000 Russian soldiers died in the first year of the Ukraine war, more than in all Russian wars since World War II combined.

The analysis by the Center for Strategic International Studies estimates that 60,000 to 70,000 Russian soldiers died in Ukraine. According to the analysis, Russia suffered a total of around 200,000 to 250,000 victims – wounded, dead and missing – in the first year of the war.

The story goes on

In comparison, Russia suffered 13,000 to 25,000 deaths in Chechnya between 1994 and 2009 and 14,000 to 16,000 in Afghanistan between 1979 and 1989.

“Some types of authoritarian regimes are willing to accept heavy casualties in interstate conflicts, but Russian casualty figures are unprecedented for post-WWII Russia,” the analysis reads.

The Ukrainian military also performed “remarkably well” against a much larger and initially better-equipped Russian military, in part due to the innovation of its forces, the analysis said. It adds that Russian President Vladimir Putin has so far been willing to accept a large Russian death toll with limited political implications, “but it is unclear whether he can do so forever”.

Featuring: Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Live updates on war in Ukraine: Putin sounds alarm after drone hits Russia