Russian authorities said Saturday that Ukrainian forces attacked several Russian regions overnight with a massive barrage of drones.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its air defense systems had “intercepted and destroyed” a total of 75 drones in several regions bordering or not far from Ukraine, including Belgorod, Krasnodar, Kursk, Oryol , Rostov. , Voronezh and the Ryazan region, deeper into Russia. One of these drones was also shot down over the Sea of Azov, the statement said.
Thirty-six drones were destroyed in the Rostov region, according to the ministry. Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said in an online statement, however, that the region had been attacked by a total of 55 drones. He did not specify how many of them were intercepted and how many reached their targets, saying only that “storage facilities” in Morozovsk and Kamensky districts suffered damage in the attack.
Ukraine’s General Staff said Saturday in a Facebook post that its forces attacked an airfield in Morozovsk, hitting ammunition depots with guided aerial bombs, as well as fuel depots in the Belgorod, Kursk and Rostov regions.
Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov confirmed that an oil depot was hit in his region. He said one of the tanks exploded and caught fire, but was quickly put out.
In the Oryol region, two drones crashed into a residential building, causing a brief fire, Oryol Governor Andrei Klychkov said. One person sought medical assistance after the attack, he said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Forces said on Saturday that Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 29 Shahed drones and four missiles.
Ukrainian air defenses shot down 24 drones in nine regions of the country, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said in an online statement. It was not clear from his statement whether the missiles were also intercepted or what damage the attack caused.
