**Drone Attacks Disrupt Flights and Railways Across Western Russia**
In a series of overnight drone attacks on July 27, multiple airports in western Russia were disrupted, including those in St. Petersburg, Volgograd, and Kaluga. Local officials and Russian media reported that the drones prompted flight disruptions, with dozens of flights delayed or canceled.
This is not an isolated incident. Russia has been experiencing a growing number of drone incursions into its territory in recent months. While Kyiv has targeted infrastructure critical to Russia’s war effort, Moscow has intensified missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities, causing significant civilian casualties.
**Drone Attacks Widen Across Western Russia**
In the Leningrad Oblast, Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg was hit by a wave of drone interceptions, leading to delays for dozens of flights. Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed that Russian air defenses intercepted “more than a dozen” Ukrainian drones, with debris falling in residential and industrial zones. In one incident, a person was injured by debris from an intercepted drone.
In Volgograd Oblast, drone debris reportedly damaged the overhead power supply system of the railway, disrupting electrical infrastructure. Governor Andrei Bocharov blamed Ukraine for the attack but reported no injuries. Local Telegram channels shared footage suggesting a substation fire may have contributed to the outage.
**Russia Reports High Number of Drone Incursions**
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted or destroyed 99 drones overnight. Among them were 36 launched at Bryansk Oblast, 21 at Smolensk, and nine each at Volgograd and Rostov. Additional drones targeted occupied Crimea, Voronezh, Kursk, Moscow, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Tambov, and the Black Sea coastal area.
**Ukraine Remains Silent on the Attacks**
Despite the scale of the attacks, Ukraine has not officially commented on the incident. The Kyiv Independent was unable to independently verify the reports. However, it is clear that drone attacks have become a regular occurrence in Russia’s war against Ukraine, with significant implications for both civilian and military targets.
**What Does This Mean?**
The escalation of drone attacks on Western Russia highlights the increasingly complex nature of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. As Kyiv continues to target critical infrastructure, Moscow has responded by intensifying its own attacks on Ukrainian cities, causing widespread civilian casualties.
This cycle of retaliation will likely continue unless a peaceful resolution is reached. The international community must remain vigilant in monitoring the situation and working towards a lasting peace in the region.
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