MOSCOW/KYIV — Russia said on Monday that its air defence units destroyed 251 Ukrainian drones overnight, most of them in the country’s southwestern regions and over the Black Sea, as the war between the two nations continued to spill across multiple fronts.
According to a statement posted by the Russian Defence Ministry on its Telegram channel, 61 drones were intercepted over the Black Sea, while one was reportedly heading toward Moscow. The ministry did not report any casualties or damage, nor did it disclose how many drones Ukraine had launched in total.
However, Ukrainian media outlets claimed that one of the drone strikes ignited a major fire at an oil depot in Feodosia, a key port city on the Crimean coast. The outlet RBK-Ukraine reported that a fuel tank exploded following the attack, citing unnamed sources. The claims could not be independently verified.
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Belgorod Under Fire
In another escalation, the Russian border region of Belgorod came under Ukrainian shelling overnight, damaging power infrastructure and cutting electricity to thousands of residents.
Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on Telegram that engineers had restored power to nearly 34,000 consumers by Monday morning, though about 5,400 residents in 24 municipal areas remained without electricity.
Gladkov added that emergency crews were working to stabilize the grid amid repeated cross-border attacks that have become an almost daily occurrence in the region.
Belgorod and other territories along the Ukrainian border have faced regular drone and artillery strikes since early 2023, disrupting civilian life and damaging critical energy and transport infrastructure.
Widening Conflict Zone
Ukraine has not officially commented on the latest strikes. Both Moscow and Kyiv have routinely justified attacks across borders as efforts to cripple each other’s military logistics and supply routes.
The reported Feodosia oil depot strike marks yet another blow to Russia’s fuel infrastructure in occupied Crimea, an area frequently targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones.
While Russia continues to emphasize its defensive successes, analysts say the surge in Ukrainian drone operations underscores Kyiv’s strategy to extend the war’s reach deep into Russian territory, testing air defences and straining Moscow’s war economy.