Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered authorities to tighten border controls with Ukraine, following a full-scale invasion by its neighbor, which Russian authorities accused Kiev of posing a new challenge to Moscow.
A drone crashed about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Moscow on Tuesday in a development that threatens Russian security.
Although Putin did not mention any specific attacks in a speech in the Russian capital, he stepped up border controls and authorities closed St. Petersburg’s airspace hours after drone strikes struck parts of southern and western Russia. There was a drone.
On Tuesday, several Russian television stations warned of the missile attack, which officials blamed on computer hacking.
The drone strikes have not claimed any casualties, but the war in Ukraine has sparked a security frenzy as the war marks its first anniversary last week.
Ukrainian officials did not immediately take responsibility for the attacks, but similarly avoided directly admitting responsibility for previous attacks and sabotage, while Kiev asserted its right to attack any target in Russia after Moscow launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
No drone damage
According to local Russian officials, the drone strikes on Monday night and Tuesday morning targeted areas along the Ukrainian border and deep inside Russia.
The drone crashed near the town of Kubastovo, about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Moscow, Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the region surrounding the Russian capital, said in a statement.
The drone caused no damage, Vorobyov said. He did not describe the drone as Ukrainian, but said it could have targeted “a civilian infrastructure object.”
The drone footage showed it to be a Ukrainian-made variant. It is said to have a range of 800 km (nearly 500 miles), but it is not capable of carrying large amounts of explosives.
Russian forces shot down a Ukrainian drone early Tuesday in the southwestern region of Bryansk, Governor Alexander Bogomas said in a Telegram post. He said there were no casualties in the incident, far from the Ukrainian and Belarusian borders.
Three drones also struck Russia’s Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine on Monday night, local officials said. It is located 80 km (50 miles) north of the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. Governor Vyacheslav Kladkov said the drones caused minor damage to buildings and cars, but there were no casualties.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used drones to attack facilities in the southern Krasnodar region and neighboring Adygea. He said the drones were shot down by electronic warfare assets, one crashed into a field and another veered off its designated flight path and missed the infrastructure it was supposed to hit.
