Russia’s Defense Ministry said Friday that it downed 53 Ukrainian drones, most of which targeted the southern Rostov region where the military command center for Moscow’s war against Ukraine is located.
“During the night and on the morning of April 5, the Kyiv regime tried to commit several terrorist attacks with aerial drones,” the ministry said in a statement posted on the messaging app Telegram.
It said 44 of the drones were downed or intercepted over the Rostov region, while the remaining drones were destroyed in the regions of Krasnodar, Kursk, Belgorod and Saratov.
Unverified videos shared on social media showed what was said to be drones attacking an air base in the Rostov region. In one of the videos, a large fireball could be seen bursting into the night sky.
Authorities in the Rostov region said an electrical substation was damaged in the overnight strikes.
Meanwhile, in western Russia’s Kursk region, Governor Roman Starovoit said two drones attacked a village, damaging multiple homes and vehicles. No one was injured in that attack, he said.
In the Saratov region, a drone was shot down over the city of Engels, which is located near a Russian military air base. The governor of that region said no one was injured.
AFP contributed reporting.