Authorities in northwestern Russia’s Leningrad region warned residents late Sunday that the territory, with a population of over 2 million, could come under attack from drones following a recent spate of strikes on local energy infrastructure.
“A high-alert regime has been declared at critical infrastructure facilities in all districts,” the Leningrad region’s press service announced on the messaging app Telegram.
“Security units and law enforcement agencies have received orders to destroy drones if they’re detected in the adjacent territories,” it added.
On Monday, regional authorities told the state-run news agency RIA Novosti that no incidents involving drones had been reported in the Leningrad region overnight.
Several fires have broken out over the past week at several oil and gas facilities in the region.
Nearby St. Petersburg was attacked for the first time since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly two years ago.
Kyiv has claimed responsibility for all three attacks.