A Ukrainian intelligence source told Reuters news agency that Ukraine launched an attack with dozens of long-range drones on eight Russian regions on Saturday, setting a fuel depot on fire and bombing three power substations.
The attack, confirmed by the Russian Defense Ministry, comes amid a series of air attacks targeting Ukraine's energy system with missiles and drones in the past few weeks.
The Ukrainian source said, citing video clips on social media showing fires burning in various locations, “At least three electrical substations and a fuel depot were damaged due to their catching fire.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense said that it shot down 50 Ukrainian drones, including 26 in the Belgorod region, ten in the Bryansk region, eight in the Kursk region, and two in the Tula region, as well as one each in the regions of Smolensk, Ryazan, Kaluga, and the capital, Moscow.
Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Russian Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, said that two civilians were killed as a result of the drone attack.
The governor of the Smolensk region in western Russia said that the drone attack targeted a fuel facility in the town of Kardem and hit a fuel and lubricating oil tank.
He added, “Thanks to the efforts of the Air Defense Forces, the plane was shot down, but fire broke out in a tank containing fuel and lubricating oil due to the (plane) debris.” He added that firefighters were struggling to put out the fire.
He added that it was not yet clear whether there were people injured as a result of the attack.
The Ukrainian source stated that the attack, launched by his country, was a joint operation carried out by the Ukrainian Security Service, military intelligence, and special forces.
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