Kiev launched dozens of unmanned aerial vehicles in an attack that lasted several hours, the authorities have said
FILE PHOTO. © Sputnik / Vladimir Bednyak
A Ukrainian attack on Russia’s Leningrad Region has killed one civilian and injured three others, Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko has said in a series of posts on Telegram. He said Kiev’s forces employed over 50 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the strike.
The raid was launched in the early hours on Sunday, Drozdenko said. It was mostly repelled by the local air defense forces. Some UAVs fell on residential buildings, causing fires, the governor said, adding that one man died. Three people, including a woman and two youths, also sustained light injuries.
The governor called the strike on Sunday “an unprecedented attack.” A total of 51 drones were shot down, he said.
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that nearly 100 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted in Russian airspace overnight. Kiev has been launching increasingly large-scale drone raids targeting various Russian regions despite renewed diplomatic contact with Moscow.
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The latest attacks came after a new round of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine held in Istanbul earlier this week. No ceasefire was reached, but the two sides made progress on humanitarian issues, including agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war and civilians.
Ukraine has been conducting UAV raids deep into Russia for months, often hitting residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure. The Russian government considers the strikes “terrorist attacks” that intentionally target civilians.
Last week, residential buildings in the city of Voronezh were hit in two attacks in less than three days. The strikes left nearly three dozen people injured, including three children.
On Thursday, two women were killed and more than a dozen people injured in a drone strike on the southern city of Sochi. The UAVs targeted a sprawling resort zone that includes parts of the former Olympic Park and now serves as a popular tourist destination.
On Friday, a Ukrainian drone struck a passenger train in Russia’s southern Krasnodar Region.