MOSCOW: Ukraine launched waves of drone attacks targeting power and refinery plants in the Moscow region and neighbouring Tver, sparking fires, while tens of drones were destroyed across other parts of the country, Russian officials on Sunday.

Drone debris sparked fires at the Moscow Oil Refinery and at the Konakovo Power Station in the Tver region, one of the largest energy producers in central Russia, officials and media said.

Russia’s defence ministry said on the Telegram messaging app that its air defence units had destroyed 158 drones launched by Ukraine overnight, including nine over Moscow and its surrounding region.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said several drones targeted the Moscow refinery and a fire was being extinguished at a “separate technical room” at the plant.

Russia’s TASS news agency, citing fire emergency officials, said the fire was assigned the highest level of complexity, which may require additional rescue units.

One killed, four injured in Russian shelling of Sumy region

The refinery in the southeast of the Russian capital is owned by Gazprom Neft, the oil arm of Russian gas giant Gazprom . Gazprom Neft declined to comment.

The Baza Telegram news channel, which is close to Russia’s security services, said loud blasts were heard near the Konakovo power plant. Tver Governor Igor Rudenya said there was a fire in the town of Konakovo but that electricity and gas supplies were uninterrupted. He did not say what was burning.

Ukraine also attempted to strike the Kashira Power Plant in the Moscow region with three drones, Mikhail Shuvalov, head of the Kashira city district said on Telegram. There was no fire, damage or casualties as a result of the attack, he said. “Electricity is being supplied without problems,” Shuvalov posted on Telegram.

The defence ministry said 46 drones were destroyed over the border region of Kursk, 34 over Bryansk, 28 over Voronezh and 14 over the Belgorod regions. Several more were downed over Kaluga, Lipetsk, Ryazan and a score of other Russian regions, the ministry said.

There were no injuries as a result of any of the attacks, according to preliminary information. Russia rarely discloses the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukraine’s air attacks.

Russian shelling

One civilian was killed and four others injured in Russian shelling overnight on Ukraine’s Sumy region on the border between the two warring countries, the local Ukrainian administration said on Sunday.

“During the night and morning, the Russians carried out 18 shellings of border territories and settlements of the Sumy region. 47 explosions were recorded,” the administration said on the Telegram messaging app. It said nine districts of the region were under attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that last week alone Russia had used 160 missiles, 780 guided aerial bombs and 400 attack drones against cities and troops across Ukraine, and he again called for permission to use Western-supplied weapons to strike deep inside Russia.

Published in Dawn, September 2nd, 2024