Russia said its air defences had downed 146 drones over the Leningrad region, northwest of Moscow, as several Baltic nations issued alerts urging residents to take shelter from unidentified drones. The developments came as Russia and Ukraine continued to trade strikes.
The regional governor, Aleksandr Drozdenko, said on Telegram that “A total of 146 drones have been downed over the Leningrad Region”, adding that “the counter-action is ongoing”. Russia’s state news agency TASS reported his remarks. It remains unclear where the drones were launched from.
Ukrainian drone strikes hit Russia’s northwest and Smolensk
Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s northwest, a area that hosts major Baltic Sea export facilities and a large oil refinery, according to a news agency report on Wednesday. The strike set the Ust-Luga port area on fire and injured three people.
Also read: Russian drone attacks unnerve Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
Separately, debris from drones killed two people in the Smolensk region, which borders Belarus, Russian newswires reported, citing the local governor. On Monday, a Ukrainian drone hit Russia’s second-largest oil refinery in Kirishi, also in the Leningrad region, a news agency report said. Local authorities said a woman had been killed in that attack.
Baltic states warn residents as Finland imposes temporary curbs
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia issued alerts about drones entering from neighbouring Russia or Belarus. Lithuanian crisis officials said the warning covered Kaunas, the country’s second-largest city, which is home to about 300,000 people. The alerts said NATO air defence jets had been activated, and there were no reports of injuries.
Finland, another Russian neighbour, introduced temporary airspace and maritime restrictions in the eastern Gulf of Finland before lifting them later. Its defence forces said on X: “The restrictions were a precautionary measure to ensure the authorities’ ability to operate and the safety of bystanders.”
Strikes inside Ukraine as Abu Dhabi peace talks continue
An overnight Russian air strike knocked out power in parts of the industrial hub of Kryvyi Rih, officials and emergency services said. One person was injured in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city, and six others were hurt in Zaporizhzhia.
Russia’s Ministry of Defence said its forces had struck a cargo vessel in the Black Sea, southwest of Odesa, that was carrying weapons and military equipment for Ukraine’s armed forces. The ministry also said Russian drones hit three electricity substations in the Kryvyi Rih and Odesa regions overnight.
The escalation coincided with US-mediated peace talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, which entered their second and final day on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the first day as “constructive and quite substantive”.
TASS also reported that Ukrainian forces fired at least 31 artillery shells at the Donetsk region, which Moscow occupies, within 24 hours, wounding three civilians. Of those shells, 23 landed in the Horlivka area, where a couple was wounded in a drone strike on a vehicle, according to TASS. Ukrainian officials said on Telegram that attacks were also reported in Zelenskyy’s hometown of Kryvyi Rih.
