Ukraine has launched one of its largest drone attacks ever on Russia, with videos showing a series of explosions and fires at power plants and refineries, including in Moscow, reports The Guardian.
The Russian Ministry of Defense downplayed the overnight attacks, claiming that it intercepted and destroyed 158 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). These drones were reportedly downed over 15 regions, according to Russian claims.
The Ukrainian assaults followed Russia’s reported further gains in the eastern Donbas region, where its forces have made slow and difficult advances in recent weeks.
Published footage shows that some Ukrainian drones with long ranges hit their targets, causing significant damage. At least one drone struck an oil refinery in the Kapotnya district in southeastern Moscow.
Additional drones hit a power plant in the Tver region, north of Moscow. There was an explosion at the Konakovo station, one of the largest in Russia, shortly after dawn around 5 a.m. An orange fireball engulfed several transformers.
Another coal-fired power plant in Kashira, in the Moscow region, was also reportedly hit. The extent of the damage remains unclear. It is suspected that three drones were used.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine’s attacks on critical infrastructure within Russia were a response to repeated Kremlin assaults on Ukrainian civilians and energy infrastructure. “It is entirely justified for Ukrainians to respond to Russian terror with any necessary means to stop it,” he said.
On Sunday, Russia launched a massive attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. More than a dozen rockets and ballistic bombs hit buildings, including the massive concrete Sports Palace in Kharkiv. Black smoke poured from a hole in its roof.
According to Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, five people were killed in the recent attacks, including a 14-year-old girl. 55 others were injured, with two adults and two children in critical condition.
