Russia repulses massive Ukrainian drone attack overnight: Defense Ministry | MorungExpress

Moscow, September 1 (IANS) Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 158 Ukrainian drones in several regions last night, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

According to a statement from the ministry on Sunday morning, drones were shot down over more than a dozen Russian regions.

Nine of the downed drones targeted Moscow and the Moscow region, the statement said. 46 drones were destroyed over the Kursk region, 34 over Bryansk, 28 over Voronezh and 14 over Belgorod. Several more were shot down over nine other Russian regions.

The downed drones caused a fire at a Moscow refinery and a power plant in Moscow's Tver region, local officials told the Xinhua news agency.

Authorities further said the fire had been contained in both regions and no injuries had been reported.

Moscow was also the target of an attack: seven drones were shot down over the Moscow region and two more over the capital itself, the statement continued, RT reported.

According to the ministry, eight drones were destroyed in the Ryazan region, five in the Kaluga region, four in the Lipetsk region and three in the Tula region.

One or two drones were also shot down over the Tambov, Smolensk, Orel, Tver and Ivanovo regions, it said.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the Ukrainian attack destroyed at least 11 drones near or inside the capital.

Two drones were shot down near the Moscow oil refinery in the southeast of the city, he said.

One of the unmanned aircraft crashed into an engine building, the mayor noted, adding that firefighters were in the process of extinguishing the fire.

Three drones also targeted the power plant in the Kashira state district, said Mikhail Shuvalov, head of the Kashira district in the Moscow region. There were no injuries or damage, he added.

In January, Kiev intensified its drone attacks on Russia, targeting primarily energy infrastructure but also residential areas. Moscow responded by adding Ukrainian power plants to its list of legitimate military targets.

Most of Ukraine's non-nuclear power generation capacity has since been disabled or destroyed by Russian attacks.

In mid-August, a major Ukrainian drone attack took place on Russian territory, in which 117 drones were destroyed by air defenses. Another attack just over a week ago involved 45 drones, 11 of which targeted Moscow, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.