Updated with Ukrainian defense source.
Russia's military said early Monday that its forces had downed 75 Ukrainian drones overnight, with regional authorities reporting that falling debris set fire to a major oil refinery on the Black Sea coast.
Air defense systems intercepted 47 drones over Rostov, 17 over the Black and Azov seas and 11 in other areas including one over the border region of Belgorod, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
Authorities in the Black Sea town of Tuapse in the Krasnodar region said debris from a downed drone sparked a fire at a Rosneft oil refinery there.
"The Kyiv regime once again tried to attack civil infrastructure in Tuapse with drones," authorities said, adding that nearly 100 firefighters had been deployed to battle the blaze. There were no casualties, according to preliminary information.
An unnamed Ukrainian defense source told AFP that drones linked to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine were behind the oil refinery attack.
"The extent of the damage to the aggressor state's military-industrial complex is currently being clarified," the source said in written comments.
Meanwhile, Rostov region Governor Vasily Golubev said no one was injured during an overnight wave of attempted drone strikes in his region, but added that falling debris had caused some fires.
"Dry vegetation caught fire in several areas, and all landscape fires were promptly extinguished by on-duty crews," Golubev wrote on Telegram.
And in the western Belgorod region, authorities said a tractor driver was killed in an overnight drone attack.
Last week, authorities in the Belgorod region announced that Russia’s military would set up checkpoints and restrict access to 14 border towns due to continuing cross-border attacks.
More than 200 civilians have been killed and 1,100 more wounded in the Belgorod region since Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022.
AFP contributed reporting.
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