Russia says it downed 75 drones launched by Ukraine overnight

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Russia said early Monday that it downed a total of 75 drones launched by Ukraine in an attack on the country’s territory overnight.

A statement by the Russian Defense Ministry said the country’s air defense systems intercepted and downed 47 drones over the Rostov region, which borders Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

The statement further said 17 drones were shot down over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, while a drone was downed over the Belgorod, Voronezh, and Smolensk regions, respectively.

Eight drones were also downed over the Krasnodar region that borders the Rostov region to the north and the Crimean Peninsula to the west, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014.

Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev said in a statement on Telegram that there were no casualties in his region due to the drone attack, indicating dry vegetation caught fire in several areas which have since been extinguished.

Elsewhere, Krasnodar's regional administration reported on Telegram that an oil refinery in the town of Tuapse was damaged due to falling debris from the downed drones.

The seaside town is located about 116 kilometers (72 miles) northwest of the Russian port city of Sochi.

Meanwhile, local authorities in Belgorod, Voronezh, and Smolensk have not reported any casualties or damages in the respective regions.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the claims, though Kyiv has previously voiced that such attacks are in response to similar attacks against its energy infrastructure by Moscow.