Ukrainian drone hits Russian regional HQ during overnight barrage

Between 20:00 on August 13 and 07:00 on August 14, Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed 44 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over the Black Sea.

Nine drones were downed over the Volgograd region, seven each over Crimea and the Rostov region, four over Krasnodar Krai, two over the Belgorod region, and one over the Sea of Azov, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Russian Defence Ministry.

In Volgograd, a drone strike caused an oil spill and a fire at a local refinery, forcing the temporary suspension of operations at the city’s airport. No casualties were reported.

In the Belgorod region, a drone hit the regional government’s headquarters, damaging the building.

In the Rostov region, the ministry said there were no casualties or ground-level consequences. Authorities in other affected regions have yet to comment on the overnight attacks.

To recall, Ukrainian forces are intensifying long-range drone operations deep inside Russia. Thus, overnight into August 11, Russian forces reported intercepting 59 Ukrainian drones, including nine targeting Moscow, bringing August’s total claimed shootdowns to 1,337 — an average of 121 per day.

The attacks caused temporary flight restrictions at airports in Penza, Nizhny Novgorod, Kaluga, Volgograd, and Saratov, according to Russia’s Rosaviatsiya. Moscow only reports drones it claims to have downed; the actual number launched by Ukraine remains undisclosed.

July saw record Ukrainian drone activity, with 3,008 drones reportedly destroyed, averaging 97 per day.

In contrast, Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukraine appear to have eased in August, averaging 74 drones and one missile per day in the first 11 days, down from July’s 201 drones and six missiles daily.

By Aghakazim Guliyev