NATO fighter jets over the Baltic. Power cuts in eight Ukrainian regions following Russian air raids

The Russian Ministry of Defence has reported that 627 Ukrainian drones were shot down last night over the regions of Moscow, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Volgograd, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kirov, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Rostov, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula and Ulyanovsk, in the Krasnodar Territory, the Republic of Tatarstan, the Republic of Crimea (annexed in 2014 by the Russian Federation) and over the Sea of Azov. (

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) has announced the arrest of two Polish nationals on charges of being agents of the Warsaw security services. According to the Russian news agency Interfax, which reported the FSB’s statement, the two are alleged to have gathered information on military installations in the Kaliningrad region. It was also reported that a further seven Polish citizens were warned and expelled from Russia due to their links with the Polish security services.

Overnight in the Black Sea, Russian forces struck a cargo ship carrying weapons and military supplies destined for the Ukrainian army; this was announced by the Ministry of Defence in Moscow in a statement published by TASS. “The Russian Armed Forces continue to carry out drone strikes against energy infrastructure supplying Ukrainian defence industry enterprises, as well as against vessels transporting military supplies and dual-use goods for the Ukrainian army. Last night, a cargo ship carrying weapons and military supplies for the Ukrainian army was struck in the Black Sea, south-west of Odessa,” the statement reads.

Overnight, Russian forces carried out attacks on three energy facilities that supply sites in the Ukrainian defence industry, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence in Moscow published by TASS. “The Russian Armed Forces continue to launch drone attacks against energy infrastructure supplying Ukrainian defence industry enterprises, as well as against vessels carrying military supplies and dual-use goods intended for the Ukrainian army. Last night, the attacks struck a 330 kV electrical substation in the city of Krivoy Rog (Kryvyj Rih in Ukrainian, ed.), in the Dnipropetrovsk region, and two 110 kV and 330 kV electrical substations in Mayaki and Usatovo, in the Odessa region,” the statement reads.

Last night’s drone attack in the Leningrad Region was the largest of the year, according to calculations by the TASS news agency based on figures released by the regional governor, Aleksandr Drozdenko. According to the governor’s preliminary estimates, around 150 drones were shot down in the region overnight. One attack caused a fire in the Ust-Luga port area, injuring three employees. The previous largest attack this year was recorded on 18 October, when 145 drones were shot down. Another incident saw 144 remotely piloted aircraft destroyed over the Leningrad region on 6 June. Two further significant attacks took place on 5 July and 23 March, with 72 and over 70 Ukrainian drones shot down respectively.

A Ukrainian drone attack sparked a fire at the Russian port of Ust-Luga, on the Baltic Sea in the Leningrad region, injuring three workers and cutting off the power supply to a substation. This was announced by the regional governor, Alexander Drozdenko, who added that Russian air defences had shot down a total of 150 unmanned aerial vehicles during the night.

“According to preliminary reports, a drone struck the port area of Ust-Luga,” Drozdenko wrote on the social media platform Max.

Two people have died in the Russian region of Smolensk following a drone attack carried out by Ukraine during the night. This was announced by the regional governor, Vasily Anokhin, who stated that debris from an aircraft had struck a residential building in the town of Yartsevo, causing a fire.

“Unfortunately, there have been casualties following the attack on the town of Yartsevo. Debris struck a multi-storey building, causing a fire. Two people have died,” Anokhin wrote on social media. According to the governor, Russian air defences intercepted and destroyed a total of 37 drones overnight in the skies over the Smolensk region.

Overnight, a massive drone attack was launched against the Russian Leningrad Region and St Petersburg, according to the TASS news agency. The drone attack struck the port area of Ust-Luga, on the Baltic Sea, causing a fire and injuring three people. Regional Governor Alexander Drozdenko warned of a possible reduction in mobile internet speeds. Internet services were disrupted in St Petersburg. Two scheduled flights bound for St Petersburg landed in Helsinki due to security restrictions. At Pulkovo Airport, eighteen flights were delayed or cancelled.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed satisfaction at the change in the United States’ approach to negotiations with Russia, following the first day of trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi, whilst reiterating the need to secure robust security guarantees for Kyiv. This was reported by the Agence France-Presse news agency.

Talks resume today, with measures to ease tensions, energy security and navigation in the Black Sea on the agenda. “I can see some changes. I am very pleased with what I am hearing. We will see what can be done,” said Zelensky late yesterday evening from Copenhagen, where he was on a visit.

A drone attack has set the Russian port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic Sea alight. This was announced by the region’s governor. “A UAV attack,” wrote Aleksandr Drozdenko on Telegram, “struck the port in the Ust-Luga area, causing a fire.” It is one of the most important ports in western Russia for oil exports.

NATO fighter jets were scrambled following the sighting of an object travelling from Belarus towards the Baltic states. This was reported by Reuters on its website, citing the Lithuanian National Crisis Management Centre. Lithuania had issued an air raid alert on Tuesday evening, and shortly afterwards Latvia also warned residents of the Ludza region, which borders Belarus, to seek shelter following a threat to its airspace. This was reported by the Latvian public service broadcaster, LSM. The Latvian army announced that it had deployed interceptor drones and air defence units. The alert was subsequently lifted at 00:35 local time, 23:35 in Italia.