Politics Another air alert in Russia's far north

SDA

13.9.2024 - 14:52

ARCHIVE - A soldier launches a drone, which has a payload of up to 15 kg and is equipped with a thermal imaging camera. Photo: Uncredited/ukrin/dpa
ARCHIVE - A soldier launches a drone, which has a payload of up to 15 kg and is equipped with a thermal imaging camera. Photo: Uncredited/ukrin/dpa
Keystone

In the northern Russian region of Murmansk, the authorities are once again assuming there is a danger from Ukrainian drones. The airspace is being closed for safety reasons, wrote Governor Andrey Chibis on Telegram.

The region is around 1,900 kilometers away from Ukraine. Chibis had already written on Wednesday about an attack on the Murmansk region in which three drones had been shot down. The Rosaviatsiya aviation authority had temporarily suspended take-offs and landings at Murmansk and Apatity airports for safety reasons.

Russia's Northern Fleet and an airbase from which strategic bombers launch attacks on Ukraine are located in the far north of the country. Russia's Northern Fleet has also been taking part in a major strategic naval maneuver in Arctic waters since Monday.

At the end of July, Ukrainian military intelligence claimed responsibility for an attack on a Russian airbase near Murmansk. Ukraine has recently repeatedly attacked targets on Russian territory with combat drones. Ukraine has been defending itself against the Russian invasion for more than two and a half years with Western help.

Drone attacks at night

The Ukrainian air defense reported 26 drone attacks during the night, 24 drones were shot down in the regions of Mykolaiv, Odessa, Khmelnytskyi and Ivano-Frankivsk. In the Odessa region, a 74-year-old man was injured, according to the governor of the region's military administration, Oleh Kiper. Falling debris damaged 20 residential buildings, 4 cars and 4 garages. The military administration in Sumy wrote on Telegram that there had been an airstrike on the town of Okhtyrka. Among other things, a residential building and cars were damaged.

Moscow also reported shelling. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 20 drones were destroyed in the regions of Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Smolensk, Oryol and Kaluga. Light damage was reported in the Belgorod region. The military claims from both sides could not initially be verified in detail.

SDA