According to the statement, the interceptions occurred in the regions of Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Oryol, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula, Tver, Moscow, Crimea, as well as in the Republic of Abkhazia and over the Seas of Azov and Black Sea.

The Ministry noted that one of the regions targeted by Ukrainian forces was Leningrad, where the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, with over 20,000 participants, is currently taking place.

In this regard, the governor of the aforementioned region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, reported on his Max messaging channel that air defense systems shot down 141 drones over the region.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, according to President Vladimir Putin, to protect the population from “genocide by the Kyiv regime” and to address the national security risks posed by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s eastward expansion.

Drone attacks launched from Ukraine against military and civilian targets in the Russian rear have since become commonplace.

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