Kiev, Ukraine (AP) – Russia and Ukraine exchanged heavy air strikes overnight on Saturday, with both sides reporting more than 100 enemy drones in their respective territory.
The attack comes within 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with US envoy Steve Witkov to discuss details of the US proposal for a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Ukraine.
Volgograd Regional Gov. Andrei Bocharov confirmed that the drone fragments had a fire in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city near the Lukoil oil refinery, but no further details were provided. The nearby airport temporarily suspended flights, local media reported. No victims have been reported.
Since Moscow began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, the Volgograd refinery has been targeted several times by Kiev's troops, most recently suffering a drone attack on February 15th.
The Russian Ministry of Defense said 126 Ukrainian drones had been fired down, of which 64 had been destroyed in the Volgograd region. The drones were shot down on the Bolognez, Belgorod, Bryansk, Rostov and Kursk regions, officials said.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Air Force said on Saturday that Russia launched a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles nationwide overnight. The barrage was a mixture of Shahed-type attack drones and mimic drones designed to disrupt air defenses. Approximately 130 drones were shot down, but another 38 were lost on the way to the target.
Russia attacked energy facilities, causing serious damage, said DTEK, a private energy company in Ukrainian.
Russia has hit energy infrastructure in Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, DTEK said in a statement on Saturday. Some residents were left without electricity.
“Damage is important. Energy workers are already working on the ground. The energy company said:
