(Moscow) A “massive” drone attack took place on the night of Thursday to Friday in the Russian region of Lipetsk, which does not border Ukraine, damaging a power plant, the regional governor announced.
“Attention! Lipetsk is the target of a massive drone attack,” Governor Igor Artamonov wrote on Telegram. “Energy infrastructure has been damaged,” leading to power outages, he added in a subsequent message, specifying that electricity was subsequently restored to most of the affected homes.
The governor declared a state of emergency in the Lipetsk municipality and ordered the evacuation of four surrounding villages “to ensure the safety of residents,” a measure that affects 416 homes. He also asked Lipetsk residents to stay at home until the alert is over.
The city of Lipetsk is located about 200 km as the crow flies from the border with Ukraine.
Another Ukrainian drone attack was reported in the Belgorod region, near the Ukrainian border. According to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, Russian air defenses shot down 29 drones and the attack caused material damage but no injuries.
In Sevastopol, on the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev reported attacks by aerial and naval drones.
The Russian region of Kursk, bordering Ukraine, has been the target of a major incursion by the Kyiv army since Tuesday. More than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers and dozens of tanks are engaged in this surprise attack, according to the Russian general staff, which said it is doing everything to repel them.