Russia has claimed the interception of more than 140 drones in an ongoing attack on its Leningrad region, situated northwest of Moscow. According to Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko's statement on Telegram, reported by Russia's state TASS news agency, the counter-action is still ongoing. The origin of the drones remains uncertain, but on Monday, a Ukrainian drone struck Russia's second-largest oil refinery in Kirishi, also in the Leningrad region, as per Reuters. A woman was reportedly killed in the attack, and a fire caused by another drone attack was reported in Ust-Luga's port area by the Baltic Sea.
Simultaneously, US-mediated peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), are ongoing for their second and final day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the first day of discussions as "constructive and quite substantive." Meanwhile, TASS reported that Ukrainian forces had fired at least 31 artillery shells on Ukraine's Moscow-occupied Donetsk region in the past 24 hours, injuring three civilians. The majority of these attacks took place in the Horlivka area, where a couple was also wounded in a drone strike on a vehicle. Additional attacks were reported in Zelenskyy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih, according to Ukrainian officials.
In response to the escalation, Latvia and Lithuania advised residents to seek shelter against the threats posed by unidentified drones entering their airspace via Russia or Belarus. The Baltic states activated NATO air defence and fighter jets due to the airspace violations.