The Russian military intercepted more than 50 drones overnight, including 44 over Rostov Region, the Defense Ministry reported on Friday morning. Local officials said an electric substation was damaged during the Ukrainian raid.
The attack happened in the Morozovsk district of Rostov Region, which is located some 190km west of the administrative center, Rostov-on-Don, Governor Vasily Golubev said on Friday. The region is located closer to the front line.
According to the ministry, air defenses also engaged Ukrainian unmanned aircraft over Saratov, Kursk and Belgorod regions, with a single drone intercepted over each. Six more were intercepted over Krasnodar Region.
The head of Saratov Region, Roman Busargin, reported that the city of Engels, which hosts a major air base, had come under attack. No damage was caused, he said.
Governor Roman Starovoyt of Kursk Region reported strikes by two Ukrainian drones in a village. Some buildings and cars were damaged, but nobody was injured.
Kiev has ramped up its drone attacks against targets deep inside Russia in the past month. Causing damage to oil infrastructure is now one of its priority goals.
According to The Guardian, Ukrainian special services claim they had “no choice” but to do this, since the country had no way of achieving any progress on the battlefield.
The issue was raised this week during a joint press conference by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne in Paris. The US diplomat stressed that the Americans “have neither supported nor enabled strikes by Ukraine outside of its territory.” The French official stated that Ukraine was “acting in self-defense” and thus “there is hardly anything to say” about the attacks.
CNN reported this week that foreign partners are assisting Kiev with programming flight paths and overcoming jamming in its long-range drone operations.