Russia claims downing 47 Ukrainian drones overnight
Russia claims to have shot down Ukrainian 47 drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on March 9.
Moscow earlier said Kyiv launched a mass drone attack that lasted over an hour and allegedly injured one person and damaged the roof of a medical clinic.
Russian air defense intercepted one drone in Belgorod Oblast, two in Kursk Oblast, three in Volgograd Oblast, and 41 in Rostov Oblast, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Local Telegram channels reported that five explosions were heard in the city of Taganrog in Rostov Oblast overnight. Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev described the attack on Taganrog as "massive.
The strike allegedly damaged the Beriev Aircraft Company plant in Taganrog, which produces Be-200 amphibious aircraft, the Russian Telegram channel Astra said.
The factory also repairs Russian A-50 early warning and control aircraft, Serhiy Bratchuk, a spokesman for the Odesa regional military administration, said on Telegram.
The attacks "can seriously interfere with the operation of the plant, and for quite a long time," Bratchuk wrote.
Ukraine has damaged two Russian A-50 aircraft: one in January and another on Feb. 23. One aircraft costs around $330 million.
In recent months, Russian authorities began reporting an increasing number of drone strikes targeting Belgorod, Bryansk, Oryol, and Leningrad oblasts, as well as other regions
Kateryna Hodunova
