Russia reports Ukrainian drones hit Crimea, region south of Moscow
Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that 660 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted over Russian territory and the annexed Crimean Peninsula overnight, in what the state news agency TASS described as the most intense drone attack by Ukraine since the start of the year.
While the figures cannot be independently verified, they give an indication of the intensity of Ukrainian attacks.
Dmitry Milyaev, governor of the Tula region south of Moscow, wrote on Telegram that 157 drones had been intercepted over his region alone. He said a high-voltage power line and an industrial plant were damaged in Novomoskovsk.
Novomoskovsk is home to the Azot chemical plant, one of Russia’s largest chemical plants. The Azot facility primarily manufactures fertilizer, but its products also include ammonia and nitric acid – substances that are used to manufacture explosives.
Milyaev said emergency services were on the scene, without providing further details. The governor also reported that a residential building had been damaged, and a woman injured in the Shchyokino area.
As part of its defensive campaign against Russia’s full-scale invasion, which is now well into its fifth year, Ukraine has stepped up its counterattacks and taken the war back onto Russian territory in recent months.
Kiev is primarily targeting the Russian arms, oil and gas industries in a bid to disrupt fuel supplies to the Russian military and make it more difficult for the Kremlin to finance the war.
