Two killed in Ukrainian drone raid on Russian region – governor
Two people have been killed in a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia’s Smolensk Region, according to local governor Vasily Anokhin.
Debris from a downed UAV hit an apartment block in the town of Yartsevo, causing the blaze which took the lives of the two civilians, Anokhin said in a post on social media on Wednesday morning.
“I express my sincere condolences to their families and loved ones of the victims. We share in your grief,” he said.
Ten residents were successfully evacuated from the burning building, the governor said.
During the night, a total of 37 drones were destroyed above Smolensk Region, located some 360 kilometers west of Moscow and bordering Belarus, according to Anokhin.
Leningrad Region, which surrounds Russia’s second largest city St. Petersburg, was the target of an even larger overnight Ukrainian drone raid. Local governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said that at least 150 UAVs were shot down there overnight.
According to Drozdenko, Kiev again targeted the Baltic Sea port of Ust-Luga, which is home to a major gas processing complex and Europe’s largest oil terminal for the transshipment of petroleum products from rail to tanker ship.
Several drones hit the port area, causing a fire and wounding three people, the governor said. Their lives no longer in danger, he added.
Ukraine has continued to attack Russian oil and gas facilities despite US President Donald Trump blaming the strikes for surging worldwide energy prices and demanding that they be stopped. In September, Trump suggested that Vladimir Zelensky should be replaced as Ukrainian leader due to his reluctance to cease the attacks. Zelensky said last week that this will only happen if Washington provides Kiev with more Patriot air-defense missiles.
Russia has accused Ukraine of deliberately targeting residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including energy facilities, to compensate for setbacks on the battlefield where Russian forces continue to advance.
In response to the attacks, Russia has intensified its long-range missile and drone campaign against Ukrainian military targets and infrastructure supporting Kiev’s war effort. The Defense Ministry in Moscow maintains that it never targets civilians.
