Russia claims interception of 146 drones in Leningrad region
Russia has shot down 146 drones in an ongoing attack on its Leningrad region, Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko announced on Tuesday, as drone strikes also hit occupied Donbas amid US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi.
The counter-action against the drone attacks is ongoing, with Drozdenko confirming the high number of interceptions via Telegram. The attacks follow a Ukrainian drone strike on Monday that hit Russia's second-largest oil refinery in Kirishi, killing one woman and causing significant damage.
Another drone attack on Wednesday sparked a fire in the port area of Ust-Luga by the Baltic Sea, further escalating tensions in the region. The incidents come amid heightened military activity in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
Abu Dhabi talks continue
The drone attacks coincide with the second and final day of US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the first day of negotiations as 'constructive and quite substantive,' offering cautious optimism for diplomatic progress.
The first day of talks was 'constructive and quite substantive'
Escalation in occupied territories
Meanwhile, TASS reported that Ukrainian forces fired at least 31 artillery shells on Ukraine's Moscow-occupied Donetsk region within 24 hours, wounding three civilians. Twenty-three of these attacks occurred in the Horlivka area, where a couple was also wounded in a drone strike on a vehicle.
Additional attacks were reported in Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian officials confirmed. In response to the escalating drone threats, Latvia and Lithuania warned residents to seek shelter, activating NATO air defense and fighter jets against unidentified drones entering their airspace via Russia or Belarus.
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