Russia reported a fresh massive attack by Ukrainian drones targeting several regions of the country, marking the second such incident in three days.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, 249 drones were “intercepted and destroyed” overnight on March 22, 2026. The ministry reported an even higher number – 283 downed drones – for the previous night.
The attacks reportedly spanned a wide area, including the Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Smolensk, Tver, and Tula regions, as well as the Moscow region and the waters of the Sea of Azov.
The governor of Bryansk Oblast, Alexander Bogomaz, stated that 128 drones were shot down over the region. Two employees were injured and two trucks damaged during an attack on the Miratorg agricultural holding.
In the Leningrad region, a fire broke out at the Primorsk port after a fuel tank was damaged, according to Governor Alexander Drozdenko. Personnel were evacuated. The port is a key oil terminal for Transneft, with a capacity of approximately 1 million barrels of oil and 300,000 barrels of diesel fuel per day.
More than 60 drones were reportedly intercepted in the Leningrad region, with one damaging a power line near Ermilovo, close to the border with Finland.
Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg temporarily limited flights due to the attacks, which were later partially resumed.
In the Tver region, a drone struck a residential building in the city of Zubtsov, causing a fire in one of the apartments. Authorities reported no casualties.
Information regarding the number of downed drones and the extent of the damage comes entirely from Russian official sources and has not been independently verified.
The attack on Transneft’s oil terminal at the Primorsk port in the Leningrad region was confirmed by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
“According to preliminary information, both the tank farm and the oil loading infrastructure were damaged. A fire at the facility was confirmed,” the statement read.
Ukrainian military officials also reported a strike on the Bashneft oil refinery in Ufa, which Bashkir authorities reported over the weekend. This escalation in attacks on Russian energy infrastructure signals a potential shift in Ukraine’s strategy.
Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of Leningrad Oblast, wrote in a Telegram post that a massive drone attack on the Primorsk port “damaged a fuel tank and caused a fire.”
The Primorsk port houses a Transneft-owned oil loading terminal. The port’s capacity in the Baltic Sea for loading oil is approximately 1 million barrels of oil per day and approximately 300,000 barrels of Euro-5 diesel fuel per day, making it a key hub for transshipment of the main Russian Urals crude and diesel fuel, Reuters noted.
