Moscow thwarts Ukrainian drone attack on Russian nuclear power plant

MOSCOW/KYEV - The Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian air defenses have disabled approximately 300 Ukrainian drones over the past 24 hours. Moscow says one of them targeted the Smolensk nuclear power plant, located in western Russia, today. This information could not be independently verified.

The Russian side said the drone attacks were concentrated on the western regions of the country and that the air defence system was able to eliminate most of the threats while still above the border. Of particular note was the claim that one of the drones targeted a nuclear facility in the Smolensk region. In a statement, the Ministry of Defence stressed that the security of the plant had not been compromised and operations were continuing unhindered. Kiev does not usually comment officially on such attacks on Russian infrastructure, but in the past the Ukrainian command has admitted that drones play a significant role in defending against a Russian invasion. The aim is to disrupt supply routes and military facilities deep in the Russian

The Ukrainian air force, on the other hand, said it faced a massive attack by 60 Russian drones and one ballistic missile overnight today. According to Kiev, most of the drones were shot down by air defences, but some caused damage to energy infrastructure and civilian objects. Details of the extent of the damage are being clarified by Ukrainian authorities. Russian drones, mostly of the Shahed type of Iranian design, are deployed to attack cities and industrial facilities. According to Ukrainian sources, their mass use is aimed at weakening the morale of the population and depleting stocks of anti-aircraft ammunition.

The information from both parties cannot be independently confirmed at this time. According to experts, war propaganda is a common tool to strengthen domestic support while weakening the adversary. Analysts caution that both data on the number of drones destroyed and reports on the extent of damage should be taken with a grain of salt. The use of drones has become a major element of warfare since the Russian invasion began in 2022. While Ukraine deploys its own designs and upgraded commercial drones, Russia relies on imports from Iran and its own production. The intensity of airstrikes from both sides has increased again in recent weeks, indicating a continued escalation of the conflict.

gnews.cz - GH