MOSCOW, Feb 9, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Russia's military shot down 19 Ukrainian 
drones over four different regions and the Black Sea overnight, the defence 
ministry said on Friday.

"An attempt by the Kyiv regime to commit a terrorist attack with 19 aerial 
drones against sites on Russian territory has been prevented," the ministry 
said in a statement.

"Air defence systems intercepted and destroyed drones in the regions of Kursk 
(2), Bryansk (5), Oryol (4), Krasnodar (2) and over the Black Sea (6)," it 
said.

The drones in Oryol, some 300 kilometres southwest of Moscow were aimed at 
energy infrastructure, regional governor Andrei Klychkov wrote on Telegram.

In Krasnodar, rescue services said a fire erupted overnight at an oil 
refinery in Ilsky, without specifying if the blaze was caused by the drone 
attack.

In recent months, Ukraine has upped drone attacks against Russian territory, 
mainly targeting border regions, but also the capital Moscow and the northern 
city of Saint Petersburg.

The deadliest such attack occurred in the city of Belgorod on December 30, 
when 25 people were killed, some 100 wounded and several hundred others 
evacuated.

Ukraine has been under persistent aerial bombardment by Russian forces for 
nearly two years and has appealed to allies in the West to bolster its 
defensive systems. Thousands of people are estimated to have died in the 
bombings.