(Reuters) – Ukraine launched a widespread drone attack on Russia on Wednesday, with air defence units destroying three drones some 38 kms (24 miles) south of the Kremlin, and 15 over the border Bryansk region, Russian officials said.
The three attack drones heading towards Moscow were downed over the city of Podolsk in the Moscow region, Moscow’s Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on the Telegram messaging app.
“According to preliminary data, there is no damage or casualties at the site where the debris fell,” Sobyanin said.
There were also no casualties or damage reported in the aftermath of the drone attack on the border Bryansk region in Russia’s southwest, Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the region wrote on Telegram.
Russia’s RIA state news agency reported also that two drones were destroyed over the Tula region, which borders the Moscow region to its north.
Separately, Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region in Russia’s southwest, said that air defence forces destroyed a Ukraine-launched missile over the region, with no injuries reported.
It was not clear how many drones and missiles in total Ukraine launched.
Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
In recent months, Kyiv has stepped up its air attacks on Russian territory, saying its aim is to destroy infrastructure key to Moscow’s war efforts. It also says that its attacks are in response to Russia’s continued strikes on Ukrainian territory.
(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by Michael Perry)
