Russian Officials Report Deaths of Pilots During Drone Attack on St. Petersburg

Russian officials reported the deaths of military pilots during the repulsion of a massive attack by Ukrainian drones on St. Petersburg and other regions of the country. This was announced by Russian Z-blogger Ilya Tumanov, the author of the Telegram channel Fighterbomber. "Today's defense of the sky over St. Petersburg from the drone attack cost us very dearly. Very, very dearly. Eternal flight, brothers," he wrote. At the same time, Tumanov did not specify the circumstances of the pilots' deaths and did not report which specific aircraft the Russian army might have lost. Meanwhile, several Russian Telegram channels claim that it concerns the Ka-52 attack helicopter, whose crew also perished. However, there has been no official confirmation of the helicopter's loss from the Russian Ministry of Defense. The Russian military department reported a massive drone attack on several regions of the country. According to data provided in a publication by RBC-Ukraine, Ukrainian forces allegedly used more than 627 drones. Separately, the governor of the Leningrad region, Alexander Drozdenko, reported a drone attack on the port of Ust-Luga. As a result, a fire broke out, and three people were injured. According to the regional head, about 150 drones were shot down over the Leningrad region. The port of Ust-Luga is one of the largest seaport trading ports in Russia on the Baltic Sea. It is used, in particular, for the export of Russian oil. Thus, the information about the deaths of Russian pilots and the possible loss of the Ka-52 helicopter remains unconfirmed by official sources for now. The circumstances of the incident are being clarified.