Some 68 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russia and annexed Crimea overnight, the Russian Defence Ministry has reported.
The ministry said that of those, 17 were shot down over Crimea, 11 over the southern Krasnodar region and 10 over the Smolensk region in the west of the country.
The head of North Ossetia, Sergey Menyaylo, said that two drones were also shot down over the republic in the North Caucasus, one of which was neutralised over a military training area, leading to the closure of Vladikavkaz Airport. Menyaylo said neither drone had led to casualties or damage.
Kazan Airport in the republic of Tatarstan also temporarily suspended operations, though restrictions were lifted at 9:30am Moscow time, Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsia reported. No reason was given for the suspension of operations.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine attacked the city of Sevastopol, in Crimea, with naval and air drones, Russian-appointed Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev said, adding that Russian forces had shot down “four airborne targets over the sea” and two unmanned boats off the coast.
Telegram channel ChP/Sevastopol warned of the threat of a missile strike on annexed Crimea and there were reports of multiple explosions in the Sevastopol area. Ukrainian Telegram channel Crimean Wind said the alarm had been raised at Sevastopol military units, while maritime passenger traffic was suspended in the city.
Smolensk Governor Vasily Anokhin said Russian air defences had shot down multiple drones in the western Russian region bordering Belarus. “The wreckage of one unmanned aerial vehicle fell on an oil depot, leading to a fuel spill and a fire,” he said, adding that there was no threat to nearby residential buildings.
In the southern Krasnodar region, explosions were heard near the cities of Tuapse and Novorossiysk on the Black Sea coast, and near Yeysk on the coast of the Sea of Azov, Radio Svoboda, RFE/RL’s Russian-language service, reported, citing local forums.
