Ukraine launches first UAV attack on Putin's hometown

Ukraine lần đầu tập kích UAV vào quê nhà ông Putin - 1 — Russian President Vladimir Putin (Photo: Reuters).

Newsweek reported that Russia on January 18 accused a Ukrainian drone of targeting Putin's hometown of Leningrad. This was the first time Ukraine had launched a drone in the area since the conflict between Kiev and Moscow broke out in February 2022.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it shot down a UAV in Leningrad. Mr. Putin was born in Leningrad, which was renamed St. Petersburg in 1991. However, the area around the city still retains its Soviet-era name of Leningrad.

"Air defense systems on duty destroyed one drone over the territory of the Moscow region and intercepted one over the territory of the Leningrad region," the Russian Defense Ministry said.

St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov said no one was injured in the attack. "Investigations are underway," he added.

Vladimir Rogov, a Russian-appointed official in charge of the Zaporizhia region, said Ukrainian forces had unsuccessfully attacked an oil port on the Baltic Sea overnight.

“The port infrastructure was not damaged and no one was injured,” Mr Rogov said, adding that Leningrad was the 19th Russian region that Ukraine had targeted in the war so far.

Ukraine has not commented on this allegation.

In addition, Russia said today that the city of Belgorod near the Ukrainian border was attacked. Moscow claimed to have shot down all 10 missiles, but one person was injured.

Russian border regions such as Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod, as well as the capital Moscow, have been frequently targeted by drones and missiles since the conflict broke out in Ukraine. Kiev rarely claims responsibility for attacks inside Russian territory.

Russian officials have accused Kiev of plotting sabotage against major Russian infrastructure, including nuclear power plants.

So far, the attacks on Russian territory have caused only minor damage, but the Kremlin describes them as "desperate acts" aimed at covering up Kiev's failures on the battlefield.

According to US officials, the attacks were intended to "raise the morale of the Ukrainian people and military" and show that Kiev "can strike back".

President Vladimir Putin has issued a warning in several regions of western Russia, giving local authorities more powers to ensure security and respond quickly to any emergencies.

However, according to observers, the possibility of the Ukrainian army attacking Russian territory by land is very unlikely. Russia has repeatedly affirmed that any attack on its territory will be strongly responded to.

Moscow believes that Ukraine's attacks on Russian territory would not be possible without the support of the US and NATO.

However, Washington has repeatedly stated that it neither encourages nor supports Ukraine in attacking Russian territory. The US believes that Ukraine has the right to decide on its own methods of combat, but emphasizes that Washington opposes attacking Russian territory.

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