Night of cross drone raids between Ukraine and Russia, with fires in infrastructure and blackouts affecting hundreds of homes.
Massive attack by Ukraine against Russia
Ukraine launched a massive attack overnight with 258 long-range drones against critical infrastructure in annexed Crimea, the Leningrad region and fifteen other Russian regions. This was announced by the Moscow Ministry of Defense, specifying that the unmanned aircraft were shot down.
Fires in Sevastopol, Vysotsk and in the affected Russian regions
In Sevastopol, the base of the Black Sea Fleet, a fuel depot caught fire after the fall of an intercepted drone. According to governor Mikhail Razvozzhaev, it is a small fire, with no casualties or impact on the city’s energy supply. In the Leningrad region, where attacks against port infrastructure have intensified recently, a fire broke out in the port of Vysotsk.
Governor Alexander Drozdenko said 27 drones were shot down in the area. In southern Russia, in the Rostov region, more than ten drones were neutralized in the cities of Taganrog and Kamen-Shakhtinsky and in several districts, without causing damage or casualties, according to local authorities.
In the Samara region, however, the remains of a downed drone fell near a maternal hospital, damaging some windows. Governor Viacheslav Fedorishchev confirmed that no injuries were reported and that the patients had been transferred to other facilities. According to Moscow, Ukrainian drones were intercepted in 17 Russian regions and in the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.
Kiev’s response and the toll of Russian drones on Ukraine
On the opposite front, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that it shot down or neutralized 190 drones launched by Russia against Ukrainian territory during the night between Friday and Saturday. “According to preliminary data, up to 8.30 am the air defenses destroyed or suppressed 190 drones in the north, south and east of the country,” reads a message published on Telegram.
According to Kiev, Moscow employed a total of 219 drones in the attack, which was still ongoing at the time of reporting. Impacts of 28 drones were recorded in 17 locations, while in another nine places there was damage caused by the falling remains of the downed aircraft.