Governor: Murmansk is under drone attack

UAVs are believed to have attacked the Olenya air base in the Kola Peninsula. The airspace over the region has been closed and aircraft on their way to Murmansk on Wednesday morning circled over the White Sea waiting for further commands.

“An attack of enemy drones is taking place in our region. I ask you for understanding for a series of temporary limitations that are being introduced. All necessary measures are taken to heighten security and air defence systems are working on the elimination of the drones,” Andrei Chibis said in a statement  on Telegram made around 11 am local time.

In his address, Governor Chibis does not specify where the attacks are taking place.

Governor Andrei Chibis confirms that his region is under attack by drones.

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Regional authorities have suspended flights to and from the airport in Murmansk, and the airspace over the Kola Peninsula has been closed. An aircraft on its way from Moscow is circling over the White Sea and a liner flying the route Torony-Lahore suddenly changed course in order to bypass the Kola Peninsula.

The redirection of flights could ultimately lead to critical situations. Pilots with Russian airline Pobeda recently sounded the alarm about insufficient fuel for longer-than-planned flights. A pilot has reportedly filed a complaint with the police, saying the company’s planes are required to fly with a minimum amount of fuel to save costs. 

Rumours and speculations about the drones are now buzzing on local social media.

According to Violetta Grudina, the Murmansk activist and politician that now lives in exile, two drones have been shot down over the town of Vysoky.

Vysoky is the military town located just few hundred meters away from the strategically important air base Olenya, from where Russia regularly sends bombers on terror raids against Ukrainian towns and infrastructure.

The drones are believed to be of the type Aeroprak A-22 Foxbat, an ultralight aircraft made in Ukraine.

The attacks might have started earlier this week. According to Grudina on Telegram, locals reported drones in the air over the town of Kirovsk on Tuesday. It is not clear however whether the flying objects actually were drones or only small civilian aircraft manned by pilots.

It is not the first drone attack on the Kola Peninsula. In late August, a drone was shot down over Vysoky. It was only few hundred meters away from reaching the airfield where the Tu-22 and Tu-95 are based. In late July, a Ukrainian drone managed to hit the airbase located as much as 1,800 km north of Ukrainian territory. The drone reportedly damaged one of the aircraft on the base.

On Wednesday this week, rumours swirled also about an alleged attack on Severomorsk, the Northern Fleet headquarters city. The information can not be confirmed. But local authorities only few minutes after the address of the Governor did post information on its social media about how to behave in situations with drone attack.

Similar information was posted on local social media in Vysokii.