On Tuesday, Moscow Region’s Governor Andrey Vorobyov revealed that an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crashed near the Gubastovo village in the Kolomna district, about 100 kilometres (kms) from the city of Moscow, adding that its target was a civilian infrastructure facility, which, however, was not hit.
“There are no risks to the safety of local residents,” he affirmed, further claiming that the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) was investigating the incident. The UAV appeared to be a small Ukrainian-made model called the UJ-22 attack drone, with a range of up to 800 kms, which cannot carry a large load of explosives.
Multiple drone strikes have occurred across Russia since Monday evening. The pattern of military UAVs crashing near Russia’s oil and natural-gas facilities has led many to speculate about Ukraine’s involvement.https://t.co/Epvpt1Eryk
— Meduza in English (@meduza_en) February 28, 2023
According to Moscow Region’s Energy Ministry, the drone was trying to hit a facility belonging to Russian energy company Gazprom. The ministry noted that regional gas distribution networks were not impacted following the attack.
Other Drone Attacks
Russian officials also reported a series of drone attacks on the same day.
Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said Russian forces shot down another Ukrainian drone over the Bryansk region.
Furthermore, the Russian Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of attempting to use drones “to attack civilian infrastructure” in Krasnodar and Adygea, which were “suppressed by the electronic warfare units” of Russian forces. It also said that “both drones lost control and deviated from their flight path,” with one falling in the field, while the other failed to “harm the attacked civilian infrastructure facility” as it strayed from its trajectory.
#BREAKING: Russia: Ukraine tried to attack two Russian regions with drones overnight
— Amichai Stein (@AmichaiStein1) February 28, 2023
Russian MOD: Ukraine attack civilian infrastructure facilities in Russia’s Krasnodar region and Adygea, The drones were suppressed by electronic warfare means
Furthermore, on Monday, three drones targeted the Belgorod region, of which one flew through an apartment window in the regional capital. Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov stated the UAVs caused minor damage to buildings and cars.
St. Petersberg’s Airspace Temporarily Closed
On Tuesday, authorities temporarily closed the airspace of Russia’s second-largest city, St Petersberg, due to an unidentified drone loitering in the area. As a result, Russian Su-35 and MiG-31 fighter jets were deployed over the city’s Pulkovo Airport.
Curious activity in skies over Russia today:
— Jake Cordell (@JakeCordell) February 28, 2023
- Defence ministry says Ukraine launched (failed) drone attacks in the south
- St. Petersburg airspace closed after reports of an "unidentified object"
- Telegram reports of a downed Ukrainian drone in the Moscow region
Moreover, the Russian Emergencies Ministry stated that air raid alerts broadcasted by several radio stations and television channels in many parts of the country “was a result of hacking of [their] servers.”