Russia hit by Ukraine drone attacks, border incursion ahead of Putin re-election
Russia was hit by a wave of attacks Tuesday, with Ukrainian drones striking targets deep inside the country from the air while anti-Kremlin armed groups said they had staged a cross-border incursion on the ground.
Russia was hit by a wave of attacks Tuesday, with Ukrainian drones striking targets deep inside the country from the air while anti-Kremlin armed groups said they had staged a cross-border incursion on the ground.
The attacks were the latest sign of Kyiv's growing ability and determination to take the fight to its neighbor's territory, and came just days ahead of a presidential election that will see Vladimir Putin re-assert his rule.
The Kremlin, which has worked hard to burnish an image of domestic calm despite the war in Ukraine, said it had successfully fought off the attempted incursions. But it was impossible to verify either side's claims, and attacks like this could unnerve the Russian public ahead of the election.
The Russian defense ministry reported early Tuesday that 25 drones had been intercepted over at least seven regions, in one of Ukraine's most wide-ranging aerial attacks in recent months.
The ministry did not report on any damage or casualties, only saying the drones had been destroyed. But some local governors reported that fuel and energy facilities had been hit, including an oil refinery that was ablaze in the Nizhny Novgorod region, some 480 miles from the Ukraine border.
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