Reports have multiplied in recent months: Drones have been sighted in Russia time and time again – including now in four southern Russian regions and 100 kilometers from Moscow. In St. Petersburg, even the airport is temporarily closed – but supposedly for a different reason.
Russian authorities have again reported the destruction of several combat drones over their own territory – including one in the Moscow region. According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow and regional governors, the drones were part of a Ukrainian attack on “civil infrastructure facilities” in four southern Russian regions bordering Ukraine and “probably” on civilian infrastructure in Gubastovo, about 100 kilometers southeast of Moscow.
There were “no casualties or damage to the ground,” said the governor of the Moscow region, Andrei Vorobyov, about the incident near the capital. The Russian secret service FSB is investigating the incident. The authorities did not provide any information on which infrastructure facilities the attacks are said to have been aimed at.
The Russian energy company Gazprom operates a facility in Gubastowo near the crash site. Gazprom told the state news agency RIA Novosti that the “drone crash” did not result in an “emergency”.
In the morning, the governor of the southern Russian region of Bryansk, Alexander Bogomas, reported to Telegram that a Ukrainian drone had been shot down. However, there were “neither casualties nor damage”. For his part, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said that debris from three drones had been found in the streets of the regional capital of the same name.
In addition, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that two drones were “neutralized” in the Krasnodar Territory and in the Republic of Adygea without causing damage. The “Kiev regime” tried there to attack “civil infrastructure facilities”.
There were also reports in the Russian media about a flying object over St. Petersburg, which could be a drone. Fighter jets have therefore risen, reported the online news site Basa. The airport in Russia’s second largest city was closed for an hour. Numerous domestic flights with destination St. Petersburg had to turn around.
About an hour after the resumption of flight operations, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that there had been a military exercise in which interceptor jets had also been used. The task of the air defense was to discover targets, identify them and intercept them, Russian news agencies quoted the ministry as saying. Cooperation with emergency services and law enforcement agencies has also been tested. However, the use of the interceptor jets had not been announced in advance.
During the night there was also a fire at the site of an oil refinery in the southern Russian city of Tuapse. Plumes of smoke could be seen in the sky on video. Local residents reported explosions. No official reason for the fire was given.
However, on several Telegram channels there was talk of alleged drone attacks on the plant in the Krasnodar region, which is quite close to Ukraine and to the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea, which was annexed by Russia. The Russian state news agency Ria Novosti also reported, citing rescue services, that a drone had been sighted near the refinery.
Since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, towns and infrastructure in Russia and in particular the Russian border regions bordering Ukraine have been repeatedly hit by attacks, particularly with drones. Several people died as a result. Moscow blamed the Ukrainian army.
In December, the Russian army said it shot down several drones near the Engels airfield, which is strategically important for the Russian air force and is hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border. In January, images surfaced showing Pantir-type air defense systems installed on the Russian Defense Ministry and one of the residences of Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the Kremlin refused to comment.
