On a Tuesday in November, the Russian governor of the Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, announced that 146 drones had been brought down over his territory, a claim that remains Moscow's own and unconfirmed by any outside witness. It arrived a day after a Ukrainian drone struck the Kirishi refinery, a fire that took a life and reminded the region how close the war has come to its industry. The figure landed in the middle of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, where two delegations sat down to search for an end to a conflict whose reach keeps widening. Across the Baltic, Latvia and Lithuania to
Russia Says It Downed 146 Drones Over Leningrad Region as Abu Dhabi Talks Continue
A woman was killed in the Kirishi refinery attack, three civilians were wounded in Donetsk shelling, and a couple was wounded in a drone strike on a vehicle in Horlivka.
146 drones, by Russia's own count, and no word on where they came from
Mark
Why does a drone count in the Leningrad region matter so much?
Mimi
It's a region in Russia's northwest, with the Kirishi refinery and the Ust-Luga port. Both were hit or affected this week, and a woman died at Kirishi.
Luke
Careful with the 146 figure, though. It comes from the regional governor via TASS. Nobody independent has confirmed it.
Mark
And we don't know who launched them?
Mimi
Right. The report says it's unclear where they came from. The Kirishi strike on Monday was Ukrainian, per Reuters, but that doesn't automatically explain Tuesday's wave.
Luke
Exactly. Linking the two is an inference the reporting doesn't make.
Mark
What about the talks in Abu Dhabi?
Mimi
Zelenskyy called day one constructive and quite substantive. Day two was the last scheduled day.
Luke
That's his characterization. We have no word from the Russian side in this account, and no outcome yet.
Mark
And the Baltic warnings?
Mimi
Latvia and Lithuania told people to shelter after unidentified drones crossed in from Russia or Belarus. NATO jets were activated.
Luke
Unidentified is the key word. Origin, number and any interceptions are all unknown here.
O Pulso
- Governor Drozdenko claims 146 drones downed over the Leningrad region, a figure no one has independently verified and whose origin remains unclear.
- A Ukrainian drone strike on the Kirishi refinery killed a woman and set Russia's industrial heartland on edge the day before.
- Diplomats in Abu Dhabi entered their final day of US-mediated Russia-Ukraine talks even as strikes continued across the region.
- Latvia and Lithuania ordered residents to take shelter and scrambled NATO jets after unidentified drones crossed their airspace.
- The coming hours hinge on whether the Abu Dhabi talks survive the escalation and whether Baltic airspace violations pull NATO into a wider response.
On a Tuesday in November, the Russian governor of the Leningrad region, Aleksandr Drozdenko, announced that 146 drones had been brought down over his territory, a claim that remains Moscow's own and unconfirmed by any outside witness. It arrived a day after a Ukrainian drone struck the Kirishi refinery, a fire that took a life and reminded the region how close the war has come to its industry. The figure landed in the middle of US-mediated talks in Abu Dhabi, where two delegations sat down to search for an end to a conflict whose reach keeps widening. Across the Baltic, Latvia and Lithuania told their people to seek shelter, and the question of who sent the drones and what the neighbours will do about it is still open.
On Tuesday, Aleksandr Drozdenko, governor of Russia's Leningrad region, posted on Telegram that 146 drones had been downed over the area northwest of Moscow, and said the counter-action was still under way. Russia's state news agency TASS carried the number. It is Russia's own claim, and no independent party has verified it, nor has anyone said where the drones came from.
The day before, according to Reuters, a Ukrainian drone hit the Kirishi refinery, one of Russia's largest, in the same province. Local authorities said a woman was killed. On Wednesday, Drozdenko reported a drone-triggered fire in the port of Ust-Luga on the Baltic coast, with no further detail on its extent or casualties.
The strikes came as US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi entered their second and final day. Zelenskyy had called the first day constructive and quite substantive. Fighting continued elsewhere: TASS, citing Russian-controlled sources, reported Ukrainian shelling in Russian-occupied Donetsk that wounded three civilians, and a drone strike on a vehicle in Horlivka that wounded a couple. Ukrainian officials reported attacks in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy's hometown.
The conflict also spilled into the Baltics. Latvia and Lithuania warned residents to seek shelter after unidentified drones entered their airspace from Russia or Belarus, and said NATO air defences and fighter jets were activated. Who launched those drones, and whether any were downed, is not yet known.
Two questions now hang over the region: whether the Abu Dhabi talks can hold after the pace of strikes around them, and whether the Baltic violations draw a broader NATO response.
On Tuesday, Aleksandr Drozdenko, the governor of Russia's Leningrad region, posted a number on Telegram: 146 drones downed over the region, northwest of Moscow. He added that the counter-action was still under way. Russia's state news agency TASS relayed the figure. It is Russia's own claim, and it has not been independently verified.
Nothing in the reporting says where the drones came from. What is on record is a strike the day before. On Monday, according to Reuters, a Ukrainian drone hit the refinery in Kirishi, also in the Leningrad region and described as Russia's second-largest. Local authorities said a woman was killed in that attack.
The damage did not stop there. Drozdenko wrote on Telegram on Wednesday that a drone attack had set off a fire in the port area of Ust-Luga, on the Baltic Sea coast of the same province. The source material gives no further detail on the extent of the fire or any casualties there.
The attacks came while diplomats were meeting. US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, entered their second and final day on Wednesday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the first day as constructive and quite substantive. Al Jazeera's related coverage points to European diplomats pressing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio for a seat in the process, and to an analysis headlined with the phrase 'no concession' about what to expect from the talks.
Fighting continued elsewhere. TASS reported that Ukrainian forces fired at least 31 artillery shells at the Russian-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine over 24 hours, wounding three civilians. Twenty-three of those attacks hit the Horlivka area, where a couple was also wounded when a drone struck their vehicle. These are TASS accounts, attributed to Russian-controlled sources. Separately, Ukrainian officials said on Telegram that attacks were reported in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy's hometown.
The spillover reached the Baltic states. Latvia and Lithuania warned residents to seek shelter because of unidentified drones entering their airspace via Russia or Belarus. The two countries said NATO air defences and fighter jets were activated in response to the violations. The reporting does not say who launched those drones or whether any were shot down.
Two things to watch now. One is whether the Abu Dhabi talks hold together after their final day, given the pace of strikes around them. The other is whether the airspace violations over Latvia and Lithuania draw a broader NATO response.
Citações Notáveis
A total of 146 drones have been downed over the Leningrad Region, and the counter-action is ongoing.— Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko, via Telegram as reported by TASS
The first day of talks was constructive and quite substantive.— Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
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