The Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday that air defenses thwarted an overnight terrorist attack of the Ukrainian armed forces on Crimea by shooting down 19 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over the peninsula.
"On the night of September 20-21, an attempt by the Kiev regime to carry out a terrorist attack using aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles against facilities on the territory of the Russian Federation was thwarted. Air defense systems destroyed 19 Ukrainian UAVs over the waters of the Black Sea and the territory of the Republic of Crimea," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that air defenses also destroyed three drones in Russia's other regions, "one each over the territories of the Kursk, Belgorod and Oryol regions."
Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev said on Telegram that all services were on alert in the city, adding that the air situation was monitored.
Oryol region Governor Andrey Klychkov added that two drones attempting to attack fuel and energy facilities in the region have been "neutralized" and no one was hurt.
"This night, two unmanned aerial vehicles, which made attempts to attack fuel and energy sector facilities, were neutralized in the Oryol Region. According to preliminary data, there was no damage or casualties," Klychkov wrote on Telegram, adding that the situation was under control.
A day earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian air defense systems had shot down a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle of airplane type over the territory of the country's Belgorod region.
On Tuesday, Russian air defense systems similarly shot down a Ukrainian airplane-type UAV over the Bryansk region.