Russian air defences down Ukrainian drones in six regions

MOSCOW: Russian air defence units intercepted Ukrainian drones in six southern and central regions late on Monday, with some damage reported on the ground, but no casualties, officials said.

In Voronezh region, bordering northeastern Ukraine, governor Aleksandr Gusev said drones had attacked a plant producing “strictly civilian” goods, triggering a fire. Staff were evacuated and there were no injuries.

Russia’s defence ministry reported that an unspecified number of drones had been intercepted in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, also on the border. The ministry said air defences had intercepted drones in the Rostov region, on Ukraine’s eastern border and in Kaluga region, further north.

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And in Belgorod region, opposite northeastern Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said “several” drones had been downed, with no casualties.

Gladkov said falling debris from a drone had damaged an industrial plant, infrastructure sites and power lines in the town of Alekseyevka, north of the border.

Electricity was temporarily cut to some districts and emergency crews were on site repairing damage.

Video posted on both Russian and Ukrainian military blogs showed explosions and a fire breaking out in Alekseyevka. One Ukrainian site posted a video of blasts in Voronezh region.