Russia said it had intercepted 92 drones over the north-western Leningrad region early on Wednesday (November 11), as attacks involving unmanned aircraft continued amid the ongoing war with Ukraine.
Regional Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko announced the interceptions through the Telegram messaging app. Reuters said it could not immediately independently verify the report.
The Leningrad region is strategically important to Russia as it houses the Baltic Sea ports of Ust-Luga, Primorsk and Vysotsk, which are major hubs for the country’s oil and grain exports.
It is also home to the Kirishi oil refinery, operated by Surgutneftegaz and regarded as Russia’s second-largest refinery.
The latest reported drone attack comes just two days after a drone struck the Kirishi refinery on Monday, setting the facility on fire. The incident also killed a woman in the region, which includes St Petersburg, the hometown of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Meanwhile, neighbouring Latvia and Lithuania warned residents to seek shelter after unidentified drones entered their airspace from Russia or Belarus. Both countries also confirmed that NATO air defence fighter jets had been activated.
In Ukraine, a separate drone attack caused a power outage in parts of Kryvyi Rih, an industrial city in central Ukraine and the hometown of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, according to an official statement on Telegram.
The latest incidents come as the United States pushes for renewed peace efforts between Moscow and Kyiv.
The first Russia-Ukraine talks in nine months are being held in Abu Dhabi, with discussions scheduled to continue on Wednesday.
