Russia reports major drone attack – videos show explosion at military airfield

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Extinguishing work after a fire in Rostov (picture from April 3rd): shots fired in the border area

Photo: Erik Romanenko / ITAR-TASS / IMAGO

On Friday night, Ukraine is said to have once again bombarded Russia's border region with dozens of drones. This is reported by the RIA news agency, citing the Russian Defense Ministry. Accordingly, Russian air defense had to intercept 53 Ukrainian drones during the night.

44 drones were intercepted in the Rostov region. A drone was shot down in the Saratov region, where strategic fighter jets are stationed at an air base. Additional drones were rendered harmless over the Kursk, Belgorod and Krasnodar regions.

“Massive drone attacks”

It is questionable whether everyone was actually intercepted. Rostov Governor Vasily Golubev reported a “massive drone attack” that hit an administrative district called Morozovsky. Because a substation was damaged, some residents remained without power for the time being, he wrote.

Independent media pointed out that there is also a military airfield in the Morozovsky district. Footage of fireballs in the sky was also shared in Telegram channels and residents were quoted as reporting the sounds of explosions.

Russia has been waging a war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine for more than two years. The Ukrainian army is largely occupied with defending itself against the attackers, but it is increasingly shelling the Russian border area in particular or sending drones far into the Russian interior. Military infrastructure is often the target of such attacks. The number of victims and damage are disproportionate to the consequences of the war in the attacked Ukraine.

On the Ukrainian side, Kiev also rejected reports of an advance by the Russian military in the Donetsk region. The situation in the suburb of Chasiv Yar near Bakhmut is difficult and there is fighting there, says a military spokesman. But the Russian troops did not penetrate the suburbs.

This was previously reported by the Russian news agency RIA, citing an advisor to the regional authorities appointed by Russia. The contradictory reports cannot be independently verified.

mrc/dpa/Reuters