Moscow accuses Kyiv of launching massive drone strike on Russia

Russian officials say Ukraine launched drone attacks early Sunday targeting several regions of the country, including power and refinery plants in the Moscow and Tver regions.
The Russian Defense Ministry, quoted by the state-run Tass news agency, said 158 drones had been destroyed by the country’s air defense systems. The ministry said on Telegram that the highest number — 122 — were downed over the regions of Kursk, Bryansk, Voronezh and Belgorod, which border Ukraine.
It was not possible to independently confirm the Russian reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
The barrage comes just days after Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was targeted by over 200 Russian drones and missiles in one of the biggest such attacks.
It is also nearly a month since Ukraine went on the offensive in Russia’s Kursk region, even as Russian troops are reported to be making advances in eastern Ukraine, especially in the Donetsk region.
Kyiv is urging Washington to lift restrictions on using allied-supplied weapons to strike deep inside Russia. Ukraine argues such strikes would greatly impede Moscow’ s ability to continue its attacks on Ukraine.
Senior officials from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s administration were in Washington last week, appealing to the United States for what Zelenskyy called “capabilities to truly and fully” protect the country.
Early Sunday, loud blasts were reported near the Konakovo Power Station in the Tver region, one of the largest regional energy producers, according to the Baza Telegram news channel, which is close to Russia’s security services.
Five drones were destroyed over the Tver region, according to Igor Rudenya, the regional governor. He did not mention possible damage.
A Ukraine-launched drone was destroyed near the Moscow Oil Refinery, said the Russian capital’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin. There was no damage or threat to the refinery’s production process, he said.
The refinery is owned by Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas giant Gazprom.
Ukraine also allegedly attempted to strike the Kashira Power Plant in the Moscow region with three drones, Mikhail Shuvalov, the head of the Kashira city district said on Telegram. There were no fire, damage or casualties as a result of the attack, he said.
“Electricity is being supplied without problems,” Shuvalov said.
At least nine drones were destroyed in Moscow and in the surrounding region, Sobyanin said.
Some 26 Ukraine-launched drones were destroyed over the border region of Bryansk in Russia’s southwest, the region’s governor, Aleksandr Bogomaz, said on Telegram.
More than 10 drones were destroyed over the Voronezh region and several were downed over the Kursk, Lipetsk, Ryazan and Tula regions, the governors of these regions said, according to Reuters.
No injuries or damage were reported as a result of the attacks. Russia rarely discloses the full extent of damage caused by Ukrainian air attacks.
Some information for this report came from Reuters and Agence France-Presse.