Russia’s Leningrad region repels massive drone attack
St. Petersburg: Russian air defence forces shot down 144 Ukrainian drones over the Leningrad region during an aerial attack, regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko said on social media on Saturday.
Drozdenko said no major damage was reported. However, falling drone debris was reported in several districts, causing minor damage to residential buildings.
A fire broke out at a Russian Defence Ministry facility in the Lomonosovsky district as a result of the attack, Drozdenko said, Xinhua news agency reported.
Four local residents received medical assistance due to the fire. One person was hospitalised, while three others, including a child, received treatment on site.
More than 600 people were evacuated from the security zone around the facility, according to regional authorities.
Drozdenko said the fire was extinguished and emergency recovery work was completed.
Earlier in the day, three people were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on St. Petersburg, the city’s Governor Alexander Beglov revealed.
The injured were treated for minor injuries and have been discharged from the hospital, Beglov added.
The attack marks the second major drone assault on St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region since the start of this year’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which concludes on Saturday.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at an oil depot in Ust-Labinsk in Russia’s Krasnodar region. Sixty residents from nearby homes were evacuated, and no casualties have been reported, the regional operational headquarters said.
The Russian Defence Ministry said air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 376 Ukrainian UAVs overnight across multiple regions.
Residents of St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region have been reporting hearing powerful sonic impacts resembling explosions since early Saturday morning.
Earlier on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s invitation to a meeting to end the war in Ukraine did not convince Russian President Vladimir Putin, who, at least for the moment, ruled out the possibility of a face-to-face meeting with the Kyiv leader.