Russia claims 65 drones shot down over 6 regions overnight and morning

Russia downed 65 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight and in the morning on March 13, the country's Defense Ministry claimed.

According to the ministry, Russian air defense shot down one drone over Leningrad Oblast, one over Ryazan Oblast, eight over Bryansk Oblast, eight over Kursk Oblast, 12 over Belgorod Oblast, and 35 over Voronezh Oblast.

Russian Telegram channels claimed that a drone allegedly hit Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) building in Belgorod. Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, did not comment on these reports.

The ministry's claim came after reports of an alleged attack on an oil refinery in Ryazan Oblast. Two more oil refineries were allegedly attacked in Nizhny Novgorod and Leningrad regions as part of a Security Service of Ukraine's (SBU) operation, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing an unnamed SBU source.

Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the alleged attacks. The Kyiv Independent could not independently confirm Russia's claims.

The day before, Moscow also claimed a massive overnight drone attack on its territory amid reports of alleged attacks on several Russian oil refineries.

While Kyiv has not claimed direct responsibility, the Ukrainian military intelligence's spokesperson Andrii Yusov said that "everything that is used for military purposes and this work will be continued."

In recent weeks and months, Russian authorities have reported an increasing number of drone strikes targeting Belgorod, Bryansk, Oryol, and Leningrad oblasts, as well as other regions.

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The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova