Wat-Not Staff
Overnight, Russia shot down 158 Ukrainian drones that were aimed towards Moscow and its environs, as well as the border districts of Belgorod and Kursk, the defense ministry announced on Sunday. Russia announced that its soldiers had taken control of two more Ukrainian communities amid the ongoing combat in east Ukraine.
The Drone Terror
Russian officials said on Sunday that Ukraine had launched waves of drone strikes that resulted in fires at power facilities and a refinery near Moscow, while more than 150 drones were destroyed in other parts of the nation. According to officials and the media, drone debris started fires at the Moscow Oil Refinery and the Konakovo Power Station, two of the biggest energy producers in central Russia, which is located in the neighboring Tver area. Russia’s defense ministry announced on the messaging app Telegram that its air defense units had shot down 158 drones that Ukraine had launched over night, nine of which had been over Moscow and its environs.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, multiple drones targeted the refinery in Moscow, starting a fire in a “separate technical room” within the facility. Emergency services later told state news agency TASS that the fire had been extinguished. The reports could not be independently confirmed by Reuters. Ukraine did not immediately respond. Aviation watchdog Rosaviatsia reported that temporary limitations that had been placed overnight on Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports were removed early on Sunday morning.
What Has Russian Ministry Said
The majority of the drones, or 122 of them, were shot down over the Ukrainian bordering districts of Kursk, Bryansk, Voronezh, and Belgorod, according to Russia’s defense ministry.
“Our defenders are repelling an attempted massive UAV attack on the territory of the Bryansk region,” regional governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said.
The assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure comes only days after one of the largest ever, including over 200 Russian drones and missiles, targeted the country’s infrastructure. Not only has Ukraine launched an offensive in the Kursk area of Russia, but Russian forces have been steadily advancing into eastern Ukraine for almost a month now. Since Russia started its assault in Ukraine in February 2022, both parties have attacked the country’s energy infrastructure.
According to a local official in the Moscow area, three drones attempted to attack the coal-fired power plant Kashira.
“There were no victims nor damages,” he said, adding that electricity was still reaching clients “correctly”.
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