Russia says it downed over 60 Ukrainian drones

ISTANBUL

Russia on Sunday said that it downed more than 60 Ukrainian drones.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that the country’s air defense systems downed 57 drones over the Krasnodar region and three over the border region of Belgorod.

The statement said that another drone and nine ATACMS tactical missiles were also downed over the Crimean Peninsula, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

Roman Sinyagovsky, the head of Krasnodar’s Slavyansk district, said on Telegram that six drones used in the attack on the region fell on the territory of an oil refinery in Slavyansk-on-Kuban.


Sinyagovsky further said two other explosions were recorded in the region and that according to preliminary information, there were no casualties or destruction.

Citing a refinery official, Russia's state news agency TASS reported the drones that fell on the grounds of the facility were larger, carried much bigger charges, and were filled with steel balls.

The refinery suspended its operations following the attack, according to the Interfax news agency.

Local media also reported a drone attack in Russia’s Leningrad region that struck an oil depot in the town of Vyborg, located about 38 kilometers (23.6 miles) from the Finnish border, which the region’s governor denied.

“Information about a UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) attack on the Vyborg oil depot is not true. A bang occurred on the territory of the old Vyborg oil depot due to the use of pyrotechnics. There were no injuries, no threat of fire,” Aleksandr Drozdenko said on Telegram.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the claims.