Russia’s Leningrad region is set to recruit reservists to form new units dedicated to protecting key infrastructure, including the crucial Baltic Sea oil ports of Ust-Luga and Primorsk, from drone attacks.
The decision comes as intensifying drone assaults, attributed to Ukraine, have recently disrupted vital oil exports, a significant revenue stream for Russia.
Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed the new units would be deployed to the “premises of enterprises and critically important infrastructure,” though his statement notably omitted any direct mention of Ukraine.
He further stated on his Telegram account that a meeting of federal and security agencies had “decided that protection of the sky over the Leningrad Region against drone attacks must be strengthened and reinforced.”
The announcement follows claims by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that Russia intercepted 11,211 Ukrainian drones in March alone, nearly doubling the figure from February.
Reservists joining these new units will be offered contracts ranging from two months to several years, according to Mr Drozdenko.
Meanwhile the Kremlin said European countries were becoming more involved in the war in Ukraine, referencing a warning from Russia’s Defence Ministry about drone production sites across the continent and in Britain.
The Defence Ministry on Wednesday warned against European plans to step up drone supplies to Ukraine and published a list of factories and enterprises it alleged manufacture drones or drone components.
It listed facilities in Britain, Germany, Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Israel and Turkey.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chair of Russia’s Security Council, said in a subsequent post on X that the list amounted to a list of potential targets for Russia’s armed forces.
“When strikes become a reality depends on what comes next. Sleep well, European partners!” said Medvedev.
Asked whether the Defence Ministry’s publication and Medvedev’s comments meant that Russia was genuinely considering striking targets in Europe, Peskov did not give a yes or no answer.
“These countries are becoming increasingly directly involved in the conflict, in the war surrounding Ukraine,” said Peskov. “The details are set out in the Defence Ministry’s statement.”
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