A group of Ukrainian drones targeted several industrial facilities across Russia in an overnight attack, officials said Sunday.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said a total of 249 aerial objects were shot down across the country. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said several drones had been driven off in the capital region.
South of Moscow, debris from a downed drone fell on the site of a chemical plant, Governor Dmitry Miyav said on Telegram.
Ukraine is blocking Russia’s full-scale invasion, which began four years ago. In recent months, it has increased long-range drone attacks on Russia’s energy complexes and other facilities critical to Moscow’s war effort.
Russia is responding with drones and missiles targeting the entire Ukraine. But analysts say that Russia’s aggressive stance on the battlefield is showing signs of weakness.
Asot chemical plant reportedly affected
Video footage and reports on social media showed the fire, suggesting the Asot facility had been affected. The footage was unverified.
Asot is one of Russia’s largest chemical plants and key to its war in Ukraine. While it produces fertilizer on a large scale, the plant also makes components for the production of ammunition in defense industries.
Governor Miyaw did not immediately provide details about the extent of the damage or the health risks, if any, to the local population.
Meanwhile, Yaroslavl region governor Mikhail Yevreyev reported drone strikes on industrial facilities used for fuel storage. He said that a fire broke out, but there were no casualties.
Britain stops tanker of Russia’s shadow fleet
In other war-related news, British forces on Sunday intercepted a sanctioned oil tanker belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet as it passed through the English Channel, the Defense Ministry said.
In the first UK-led operation of its kind, the ship SMYRTOS was manned by Royal Marine Commandos and law enforcement officers from the National Crime Agency, the ministry statement said.
Russia relies on its shadow fleet to sell oil while avoiding sanctions, which in turn finances its conflict in Ukraine.
“This successful operation deals another blow to Russia and reminds Putin’s warmongers in Ukraine that we will not let them hide,” Starmer said in a post on Twitter.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez