Russia reported an attack by 217 Ukrainian drones: explosions were heard near Moscow and St. Petersburg
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that on the night of May 21–22, Russian air defenses allegedly shot down and intercepted 217 Ukrainian drones over various regions of the country, including near Moscow and St. Petersburg.
This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry.
“Over the past night, air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 217 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles over the territories of the Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Novgorod, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula, and Yaroslavl regions, the Moscow region, and St. Petersburg,” the Russian Ministry of Defense stated.
According to the Russian statement, drone attacks were recorded simultaneously in several central and border regions of the Russian Federation.
Among the targets are the Moscow region and St. Petersburg, which rarely come under such large-scale drone attacks.
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Earlier, Russian Telegram channels and local authorities reported a series of explosions in Yaroslavl, as well as the temporary suspension of operations at the local airport and the closure of the highway leading to Moscow.
Amid a massive drone attack, additional security measures and restrictions on airport operations may have been introduced in a number of Russian regions.
As a reminder, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have carried out 158 strikes on Russian oil refining infrastructure facilities. The vast majority of key enterprises in the industry have come under fire—24 out of 33 large and medium-sized oil refineries (ORs) in Russia.
On the night of May 21, fighters from the Special Operations Forces (SSO) and Unmanned Systems Forces (USB) of the Armed Forces of Ukraine delivered a precision strike on the Syzran Oil Refinery in the Samara region of the Russian Federation.
In Russia, following the drone attack, fires broke out at the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery in the city of Kstovo, Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, and on the grounds of the Azot chemical plant in Nevinnomyssk, Stavropol Krai.
On the night of May 20, a series of explosions rocked the Stavropol Krai of Russia, followed by reports of damage to the Nevinnomyssk Azot plant. The plant is one of the largest producers of ammonia and ammonium nitrate in the Russian Federation. Information regarding the extent of the damage and the consequences of the attack is being clarified.
