Three Russian aircraft crash near St Petersburg, killing seven crew

Reciprocal air raids have become so frequent that their consequences are not reported every day, the article says. Russia mainly targets energy infrastructure, while Ukraine primarily attacks refineries and other oil-industry facilities. Both sides are causing serious damage, but the article says Ukrainian cities are suffering far more.

Wednesday’s raid focused on the area around St Petersburg, including the Ust-Luga oil terminal. Ukraine had also struck a Russian missile corvette in the Baltic Sea earlier in the week. Three radar systems in Leningrad Oblast were reportedly hit during the drone attack: a Nebo-SVU long-range surveillance radar, a 40V6 mobile radar tower and a Sopka-2 airspace surveillance radar complex. The claims were attributed to the Dosye Shpiona channel.

The aircraft crashes drew particular attention. The Voevoda Broadcasts channel said defending Russian skies had “never cost so much in a single night.” The aviation channel Fighterbomber also acknowledged the losses, writing that defending the skies over St Petersburg from drone attacks had cost “very, very, very dearly.” The article said Fighterbomber provided no details, though other sources did.

The update also questions speculation that the friend-or-foe identification system may have been compromised. Its other topics include the role of Russian combat helicopters and Ukrainian F-16s in intercepting drones, and differences between a proposed humanitarian operation in Kostiantynivka and the one modelled on Oleshky.