Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Russia and Ukraine exchanged heavy aerial attacks overnight Saturday, with both countries reporting more than 100 drones over their respective regions.
The trade comes less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin had a meeting with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to examine elements of the American proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the fight with Ukraine,
Volgograd regional Gov. Andrei Bocharov affirmed that falling drone debris had caused a fire in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city close to a Lukoil oil refinery, but provided no further particulars. Nearby airports temporarily suspended flights, local media outlets reported. No casualties were noted.
What damage did Ukrainian drones cause in Russia?
Ukraine’s forces have hit the Volgograd refinery on several occasions since Moscow launched its full-scale attack on Ukraine more than three years ago, most recently in a drone raid on Feb. 15.
Russia’s Defense Ministry stated that it had intercepted 126 Ukrainian drones, 64 of which were killed over the Volgograd area. Officials said that drones were also hit over the Voronezh, Belgorod, Rostov, Bryansk, and Kursk regions.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force expressed that Russia had fired a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles over the nation overnight. The storm was a mixture of Shahed-type attack drones and miniature drones designed to complicate air defenses. In total, 130 drones were destroyed, while 38 more were lost en route to their marks.
Russia attacked energy installations, causing considerable damage, stated Ukraine’s private energy company DTEK. Russia hit energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, DTEK stated in a statement. Some citizens were left without electricity.
“The damage is significant. Energy workers are already working on the ground. We are doing everything possible to restore power to homes as soon as possible,”
The energy firm stated.
Two days earlier, Ukraine launched its largest-ever drone attack on Moscow and the surrounding area, killing at least three workers of a meat warehouse, wounding 17 others, and causing a short shutdown at the Russian capital’s four airports, Russian officials stated. A total of 343 drones were brought down over Russia, including 91 over the Moscow area and 126 over the western area of Kursk where Ukrainian forces have been pulling back, as well as near the Kursk nuclear power plant, the defence ministry stated.
