
St. Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, Moscow and other places were attacked by drones, resulting in casualties and fires at oil terminals.
AI-generated summary
Many places in Russia and the Black Sea were hit by large-scale air strikes by Ukrainian drones, causing fires in many facilities and casualties.
China News Service, Moscow, October 18 (Reporter Tian Bing) The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the 18th that the Russian air defense system shot down 1,015 Ukrainian drones in many places in Russia and over the Black Sea waters. St. Petersburg, Leningrad Oblast, and Moscow were attacked by large-scale drones that day, resulting in casualties, fires at oil terminals, and power outages in some areas.
St. Petersburg Mayor Beglov said on social media that day that the St. Petersburg oil terminal was attacked by a drone early that morning and caught fire, and emergency departments were putting out the fire. Beglov said that the city's Neva and Red Village districts were also attacked by drones, resulting in one death, five injuries, and damage to more than 10 high-rise residential buildings. The city's transportation committee issued an announcement calling on citizens and tourists to reduce traveling by private cars as much as possible.
Drozdenko, the governor of the Leningrad Region, reported that so far, a total of 144 drones have been shot down over the state. The wreckage of the drone crashed in the Vsevolozhsk district of the state, causing a fire in a multi-story residential building and sending four people to hospital for treatment. Affected by drone attacks, two substations in the state are still out of power. The power outage area involves 50 multi-story residential buildings and about 20,000 residents. Professionals are carrying out emergency repairs and power supply is being restored.
The Russian social platform "VK" company stated that its data center in Leningrad Oblast was attacked by a drone, but all services were operating normally. OZON, a large Russian e-commerce platform, reported that one of its logistics centers in St. Petersburg was attacked by a drone, causing a fire in the warehouse. There are no reports of casualties.
Moscow Mayor Sobyanin said on social media platforms that from 8:30 on the 17th to 8:30 on the 18th, the Russian air defense system had shot down 512 drones flying to Moscow. Most of the drones were shot down far away from Moscow, and 127 drones were intercepted when they approached Moscow. Emergency departments are handling the scene of the drone crash.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported on the 18th that from 20:00 on the 17th to 8:00 on the 18th, Russian air defense forces shot down a total of 1,015 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones in the skies over multiple regions of Russia and the Black Sea waters. At the same time, the Russian army used drones to launch a series of attacks on logistics centers and ports in Ukraine, as well as maritime vessels used by the Ukrainian army. A logistics center in Rivno, Ukraine, and a dry cargo ship transporting dual-use military and civilian materials 30 kilometers east of the Port of Odessa were hit.

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Japan and the United States will carry out the "Sharp Sword 27" large-scale joint military exercise in Japan from the 19th to the 29th, with a total strength of nearly 60,000 troops and the participation of many Western and regional countries. The exercise involved the deployment of surface-to-ship missiles and advanced US-made equipment, triggering protests and concerns among people in many places in Japan.

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