The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the neutralization of 77 drones during the past night.
“During the past night, duty air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 77 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles,” follows from a publication in the Telegram channel of the defense department on Sunday, December 7.
In particular, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 42 UAVs were intercepted over the territory of the Saratov region, 12 – over the territory of the Rostov region, 10 – over the territory of the annexed Crimea, 9 – over the territory of the Volgograd region, 2 – over the territory of the Belgorod region, 1 – over the territory of the Astrakhan region and 1 – over the territory of the Chechen Republic.
As reported by the governor of the Rostov region Yuri Slyusar, As a result of a drone attack, a power line tower on the outskirts of the Kolundaevsky village was damaged, leaving 250 people without electricity.
On the night of December 7, eight Russian airports temporarily suspended flights. Restrictions on the reception and release of aircraft were introduced in Volgograd, Saratov, Vladikavkaz, Grozny, Magas, Nalchik, Orenburg and Orsk.
A power transmission line tower was damaged in the Sholokhov district of the Rostov region as a result of a drone attack, said the head of the region, Yuri Slyusar. “In the Sholokhovsky district, on the outskirts of the Kolundaevsky village, a power line tower was damaged. 250 residents of the village were left without power supply. Restoration work will begin during daylight hours,” Slyusar wrote in his Telegram channel on Sunday morning.
According to the governor, drones were neutralized overnight in Kamensk, Chertkovsky and Sholokhovsky districts. There were no casualties.
UAV attacks on Russian regions began in 2022 against the backdrop of a “special military operation” in Ukraine.
Kyiv did not officially confirm its involvement, but in August 2023, the adviser to the head of the office of the Ukrainian president, Mikhail Podolyak, said that the number of UAV strikes on Russia “will increase.”
In early March 2023, the president Vladimir Zelensky said that the whole world sees the results of Ukraine’s use of drones of its own production at strategic sites in Russia. “I think everyone sees that our drones work. And they work long-range. Our long-range is a real approach to security for everyone,” the head of the Ukrainian state said in a video message after a massive drone attack on the regions of the Russian Federation, including the Moscow region.
Zelensky emphasized that “Ukraine will inflict retaliatory losses on the Russian state – quite rightly.”
In May 2023, a drone exploded over Senate Palace in the Kremlin, UAVs repeatedly hit the buildings of the Moscow City business center. The border Bryansk, Belgorod and Kursk regions and annexed Crimea are also often targets.