Russia made it clear On Monday that it had drowned 39 drones fired by Ukraine overnight mainly targeting border regions.
“The anti-air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 19 drones in the Kursk region, nine above Belgorod, three over Voronezh and five over Bryansk,” all bordering Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.
Three others were neutralised in the northwestern Leningrad region near Saint Petersburg in an “attempted terrorist attack”, it said.
Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian fuel depots, refineries and energy facilities are frequent, particularly in the border regions.
Russia has also launched massive attacks on Ukraine’s power plants, causing severe electricity shortages in recent months.