Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow for a second time this week, with city authorities saying early Friday that air defense systems downed four unmanned aircraft near the Russian capital.Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said emergency crews were dispatched to areas where debris from the intercepted drones had fallen.So, too, did Moscow region Governor Andrei Vorobyov confirm that three drones were downed on the eastern outskirts of the capital in the early morning, with no reported injuries.Photos and videos shared by the Telegram news channel Astra appeared to show damaged apartment buildings and houses in and around Moscow.
The images could not be independently verified.Meanwhile,authorities in southern Russias Krasnodar region reported an overnight strike that triggered a large fireat the Tuapse oil refinery, located on the Black Sea coast.Krasnodar region Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said the flames spread across more than 1,000 square meters but did not cause any injuries.The refinery is one of Russias largest, with an annual processing capacity of 12 million metric tons of oil, according to Andriy Kovalenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council's Countering Disinformation Center.Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian energy infrastructure in long-range drone strikes, which it describes as retaliation for Moscows missile attacks that have crippled its power grid and left millions without electricity.Russias Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 28 Ukrainian drones across six Russian regions overnight, including four over the Moscow region.The ministry did not mention the attacks in Krasnodar but said one drone had been shot down over the Black Sea.Separately, the Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, citing sources in Ukraines Security Service, reported that drones targetedtwo gas compressor stations in Russias Tambov and Saratov regions, as well as a missile depot for S-300 air defense systems in the Belgorod region.The attacks caused significant damage to Russias budget, reducing its ability to finance the war in Ukraine and weakening the military potential of the Russian army, the SBU source was quoted as saying.A Message from The Moscow Times:Dear readers,We are facing unprecedented challenges.
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