Drones hit energy facilities inside Russia – governor
Two drones attacked energy facilities in Russia’s Smolensk Region early on Friday, local governor Vasily Anokhin has reported.
Infrastructure in the villages of Peresna and Divasy was targeted by long-range UAVs at around 3am local time, the governor wrote on Telegram.
According to Anokhin, the attack did not result in any casualties. “There’s no critical damage or fires,” he added.
The governor posted images showing the debris of one of the drones, and noted that work is underway to repair the damage done by the attacks.
Smolensk Region is around 300km southeast of Moscow and borders Belarus. The distance to the border with Ukraine is some 400km.
Also on Friday, the governor of neighboring Kaluga Region said “an unidentified object” had crashed in the local woods, causing an explosion. There were no casualties or damage to facilities, he added.
The Russian regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk, all of which border Ukraine, have been the most affected by drone and missile attacks by Ukrainian forces since the outbreak of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022.
The strikes have targeted energy infrastructure and residential areas, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, as well as the destruction of property.
On some occasions, the UAVs were able to travel deeper into Russian territory. Early on Tuesday, Moscow was subject to a major drone attack. Three incoming drones were suppressed by electronic warfare measures and five others were shot down, according to the Russian military.
Several residential buildings in the capital were damaged, with two people suffering minor injuries. Russia described the drone raid as a terrorist attack staged by Kiev.
