Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that its air defense systems destroyed more than 150 Ukrainian drones overnight, marking one of the largest such attacks since the start of the year as officials from the two warring countries gather for a new round of peace talks in Switzerland.
The Russian military said 79 drones were downed over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, with 38 others destroyed over annexed Crimea and 18 over the Krasnodar region. It was the largest wave of Ukrainian drone attacks since Jan. 1, when the Defense Ministry reported downing 168 unmanned aircraft.
Mikhail Razvozhayev, the Kremlin-installed governor of the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, said a 9-year-old boy was hospitalized with minor injuries. He reported damage to vehicles, apartments, private homes and gas pipes as a result of drone strikes.
In the nearby Krasnodar region, authorities said Ukrainian attacks caused a fire at the small Ilsky Oil Refinery. The site includes six processing units with a total capacity of 6.6 million metric tons per year.
Ukraine’s military claimed the refinery, owned by the Kuban Oil and Gas Company, is involved in supplying the Russian military.
Officials in other regions did not report any damage or injuries from the overnight drone strikes.
Airports in at least 12 cities introduced temporary flight restrictions amid the attacks.
Russia’s Defense Ministry later reported downing 27 more Ukrainian drones on Tuesday morning.
Ukraine and Russia are set to begin another round of diplomatic talks brokered by the Trump administration in Switzerland on Tuesday, coming after two meetings earlier this year in Abu Dhabi.
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