The number of those killed by Russian forces has risen again to seven people, including an infant and a 12-year-old boy. They were killed by Russian shelling in Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Sunday. Elsewhere, Russian air defence systems shot down Ukrainian drones over Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions, the Kremlin claimed. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).

1:24pm: Kremlin shot down at least four drones inside Russia, defence ministry says

Russian air defences shot down at least four Ukrainian drones over its western regions on Sunday, the defence ministry said.

Three drones were shot down over Belgorod and another over the Kursk region, the defence ministry stated.

There were no casualties or damage caused by the incidents, the ministry said.

Drone air strikes deep inside Russia have increased since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Civilian areas of the capital were hit later in May and a Moscow business district was targeted twice in three days earlier this month.

12:28pm: Death toll from Russian shelling rises

A 12-year-old boy who was left in critical condition by Russian artillery fire in Ukraine’s southern region of Kherson has died in hospital, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on Sunday.

Another six people, including an infant, were killed by Russian shelling earlier on Sunday in the villages of Shyroka Balka and Stanislav.

This brings the total number of casualties from this raid to seven.

11:48am: Russian warship fires ‘warning shot’ at Black Sea cargo ship

A Russian warship on Sunday opened warning fire on a Palau-flagged dry cargo ship in the southwestern Black Sea as it made its way to Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said.

Russia said its Vasily Bykov patrol ship fired with automatic weapons on the “Sukru Okan” vessel after the captain did not respond to a request to halt for an inspection.

The Sukru Okan was making its way towards the Ukrainian port of Izmail, the defence ministry said.

“To forcibly stop the vessel, warning fire was opened from automatic weapons,” the Russian defence ministy said.

The Russian military boarded the vessel with the help of a Ka-29 helicopter.

“After the inspection group completed its work on board, the Sukru Okan continued on its way to the port of Izmail,” the defence ministry said.

Shipping databases list the Sukru Okan as a Palau-flagged vessel with a tonnage of 2;155 whose home port is Istanbul.

10:59am: Russia destroys drone over Kursk region, says defence ministry

Russia‘s defence ministry said on Sunday that it had shot down a Ukrainian drone over the Kursk area, minutes after reporting the destruction of another drone over the Belgorod region.

It said the drone was destroyed at around 8:30am GMT.

10:58am: Russian shelling kills six people in Kherson, Ukraine says

Six people, including an infant, were killed on Sunday by Russian shelling in the southern Ukrainian region of Kherson, officials said.

“Russia killed six people in the region of Kherson,” Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said on messaging app Telegram. In the village of Shyroka Balka three adults and a 23-day-old baby were killed, he said. In the village of Stanislav another two people were killed.

Klymenko’s version of events could not be independently verified.

8:04am: Kremlin may no longer be funding Wagner Group, says UK

The UK’s defence ministry said on Sunday there was a realistic possibility that Russia no longer funds the activities of the mercenary Wagner Group.

London reported that the Russian state has taken action against some of the business interests of Wagner owner Yevgeny Prigozhin after he led a failed mutiny against the Russian army’s top brass in June.

“If the Russian state no longer pays Wagner, the second most plausible paymasters are the Belarusian authorities,” it said, adding that this would be a drain on Belarus‘ resources.

The ministry said the Wagner Group was moving towards downsizing and reconfiguring to save on staff salary expenses at a time of financial pressure.

5:01am: Russia destroyed Ukrainian drone over Belgorod, claims Kremlin

Early reports of Russian air defence systems destroying a Ukraine-launched unmanned aerial vehicle over the area close to the city of Belgorod early on Sunday morning, the Russian defence ministry said.

The report could not be independently verified.

12:01am: Germany’s Rheinmetall to deliver Luna drone system to Ukraine by end of year

Germany‘s Rheinmetall will deliver a Luna New Generation drone system to Ukraine by the end of the year, the newspaper Bild am Sonntag reported on Sunday, citing company sources.

Ukraine is desperate to boost its weapons arsenal, from drones and munitions to tanks, as it battles to repel Russia‘s invasion.

The “Drones Package” consists of a ground control station with several drones, a launch catapult and military trucks, Bild said, adding that the drone system could be used as a reconnaissance system, provide an LTE network and intercept or jam communications.

The company was not immediately available for comment.

Key developments from Saturday, August 12:

Russia‘s foreign ministry on Saturday vowed to retaliate after thwarting what Russia described as a series of Ukrainian missile attacks on the Crimea bridge linking the Moscow-annexed Crimean Peninsula to Russia’s mainland across the Kerch Strait.

Russia’s defence ministry had earlier announced that the country’s forces had downed 20 drones over the Crimean Peninsula.

Drone attacks on Russian-controlled territories in Ukraine and deep inside Russia have increased since a drone was destroyed over the Kremlin in early May.

Ukraine almost never publicly claims responsibility for the attacks but has said destroying Russia’s military infrastructure is crucial for Kyiv’s counteroffensive.

Read yesterday’s live blog to see how the day’s events unfolded.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

Originally published on France24