Russia stated this Friday that it shot down more than a hundred Ukrainian dronesdirected mainly against the Krasnodar region, in the south of the country, where according to local authorities at least one person diedwhile six others were injured.
“In the early hours of the day, an attempt by the kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack was thwarted using unmanned vessels and aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation,” the Russian Defense Ministry reported in a statement, reported by the Russian television network RT.
Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 70 Ukrainian drones over the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014; 43 drones over the Krasnodar region; six naval drones in the northwest Black Sea; and a drone over the Volgograd region, according to the same source.
The attack on Krasnodar
In the Krasnodar region, a drone attack hit a heating plant in the town of Yuzhni, killing one of its employees, regional governor Veniamin Kondratiev said on Telegram. According to the emergency services, in the attack, in addition to the boiler where the fatality occurred, the building of a bus station in the regional capital was damaged. “At least four people were injured by falling drone debris, according to preliminary data”noted the regional authorities in a press release collected by the Interfax agency.
Two other people were injured due to the impact of a drone on the territory of the Ilski oil refinery, one of the most important in the south of the country. According to the official version, the attack did not cause damage to the refinery facilities, which like all of Russia’s oil infrastructure, is considered by Ukraine to be a priority military objective.
Ukraine, which has been facing a major Russian offensive on its territory for more than two years, responds by attacking Russian regions and, in particular, energy facilities. kyiv promised to take the fighting to Russian soil in retaliation for the numerous bombings on its territory. Without going any further, on Thursday the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) attacked Russian refineries and oil facilities with drones in the Tambov region and Adygea in order to complement international sanctions whose impact has so far been limited.
Russian advance
Meanwhile, Russian forces continue to gradually gain ground in the eastern Donetsk region, while Ukraine regains ground near the town of Vovchansk, according to the daily bulletin on the course of the war published by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). “Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Vovchansk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Chasiv Yar, Avdivka and the city of Donetsk,” the US-based institution said.
Avdivka was occupied by Russia and the city of Donetsk, capital of the homonymous region in which both towns are located, was taken from Ukraine by pro-Russian separatist militias in 2014. The town of Chasiv Yar, in the eastern region of Donetsk, has been one of the main objectives of Russian operations on this front for months. Ukraine continues to maintain control of the town despite constant Russian attacks in the area.
The 24th Mechanized Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced in a statement that it was deployed to the area to reinforce Ukrainian troops, who are inflicting heavy casualties on the Russians. However, he clarified that they also suffer significant losses. “The situation in the city and its surroundings is extremely difficult due to massive frontal attacks by the enemy and the constant use of aerial bombs by Russian aviation”the brigade acknowledged in its note.
On the other hand, At least two people in their 50s were killed and three others injured in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian town of Selidovo, in the east of Donetsk. The Ukrainian Prosecutor’s Office indicated in a message on its Telegram account that Russian troops launched a guided bomb against an apartment block in Selidovo in the morning. “As a result of the attack, a five-story block, a vehicle and a power line were damaged,” he mentioned, while stressing that the authorities are taking all possible and appropriate steps to document war crimes committed by members of the armed forces. Russian Armed Forces.
