During the night, Ukrainian forces launched a daring attack on Russian territory using over 80 drones.
The Defense Ministry released a statement on Friday revealing that the drones were aimed at the Rostov region of Russia, which shares a border with Ukraine in the southeast.
In an effort to disrupt the production of gasoline that fuels President Vladimir Putin‘s war economy, Kyiv has been using drones since January to target oil refineries and other facilities in Russia, including those in Rostov.
Confirming the incident, the Defense Ministry stated, “During the night, there was an attempted terrorist act with drones on Russian soil, which our forces successfully foiled.”
According to reports, Russian air defense systems took down 87 Ukrainian UAVs, with 70 of them directed at Rostov.
Key details from the Defense Ministry indicated that two drones were intercepted near Belgorod on the border with Ukraine, with additional drones spotted heading towards Volgograd, Voronezh, Kursk, and the Rostov area itself.
The conflict intensified as one drone was shot down over Crimea, an area annexed by Moscow in 2014 but still claimed by Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelensky has vowed to retake the peninsula, leading to heightened attacks on Russian assets in the region.
The Governor of Rostov Region, Vasily Glubev, described the drone attack in Morozovsk as “massive,” causing fires, power disruptions, and blackouts in the area.
Reports suggested that Morozovsk houses a Russian military airbase with bombers like the Su-24 series present, targeted by Ukrainian forces as part of their military strategy.
Following the attack, Alexander Gusev reported via Telegram that drone debris damaged an unused oil tank, but no fatalities or significant infrastructure damage occurred.
Commander Mykola Oleschuk of the Ukrainian Air Force shared on Telegram details of a retaliatory overnight attack by Russia on Ukraine, involving missiles and kamikaze drones, which were successfully intercepted.