A Russian Shahed kamikaze drone targeting Ukraine overnight on July 13 appears to have veered off course and flew more than 350 kilometers over Belarusian airspace, according to reports.
Ukrainian Air Force Commander, Mykola Oleschuk, said five drones were deployed in the attack, four of which were shot down while the fifth "left the airspace of Ukraine in the direction of the Gomel region of Belarus," he said in a post on Telegram.
The Belarusian Hajun monitoring group later reported it had flown 250 kilometers "over Gomel and Zhlobyn, entered the Mogilev region, and then the Minsk region."
It also said a Belarusian Mi-24 helicopter and Su-30 fighter jet were scrambled to intercept the drone before it "presumably flew to Vitebsk."
"What happened to the Shahed after is currently unknown," it added in a post on social media.
❗️The Shahed entered Belarus at 3 a.m. and flew over 350 km. Details
— Belarusian Hajun project (@Hajun_BY) July 13, 2024
Last night, a UAV (kamikaze drone of the Shahed type) launched by Russia entered the airspace of Belarus again – this is the second time in the last two days. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, last night… pic.twitter.com/aXfL7I0sYt
The group said this was the second such incident in two days.
Elsewhere on July 13, Ukrainian drones attacked an oil depot in Russia's Rostov Oblast, causing a fire overnight, Governor Vasily Golubev claimed.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian air defense shot down two drones over Rostov Oblast, one over Belgorod Oblast, and one over Kursk Oblast.
Golubev claimed that a large fire broke out at the oil depot in the Tsimlyansky district in the east of Rostov Oblast. A fire-fighting train was involved in efforts to extinguish a fire, he added. No casualties were reported.
The Ukrainian military has not commented on the reports.
The Kyiv Independent couldn't verify the claims.
Chris York
