A "massive" drone attack occurred late Thursday into Friday in the Lipetsk region of Russia, which does not border Ukraine, causing damage to an electrical station, according to the regional governor. Governor Igor Artemov wrote on Telegram, "Warning! Lipetsk is the target of a massive drone attack." In a later message, he added that "energy infrastructure has been damaged," leading to power outages, noting that electricity was restored shortly afterward to most affected homes.
The governor declared a state of emergency in the Lipetsk municipality and ordered the evacuation of four surrounding villages "to ensure the safety of residents," affecting 416 families. There were reports of a fire breaking out at a military airbase in Lipetsk, according to the state news agencies TASS and RIA Novosti. The agencies cited the regional emergencies ministry stating, "A fire broke out at a military airport in the Lipetsk region," without specifying whether the fire was a result of an Ukrainian attack.
The city of Lipetsk is located about 200 kilometers from the border with Ukraine. Another reported Ukrainian drone attack occurred in the Belgorod region near the Ukrainian border. According to regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, Russian air defense shot down 29 drones, and the attack caused material damage but no injuries were reported.
In Sevastopol, in the Crimea peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014, Governor Mikhail Razvozhaev reported attacks by aerial and naval drones. Meanwhile, the Russian Kursk region bordering Ukraine has been experiencing a significant incursion by the Kyiv army since Tuesday, involving over a thousand Ukrainian soldiers and dozens of armored vehicles, according to the Russian General Staff, which stated it is doing everything possible to repel them.
