Ukrainian drones attempt to attack Russia's Far North

The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attempted to attack objects in the Murmansk region of Russia.

Photo: IG Фонд tech-спільноти України is licensed under public domain

"Our region is being attacked by enemy drones. I ask you to be understanding about a number of temporary restrictions,” Governor Andrey Chibis said.

Restrictions were implemented for Murmansk and Apatity airports. Reportedly, three unknown drones were detected in the Severomorsk area. After that, flight restrictions were introduced throughout the Kola Peninsula.

It is believed that the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to attack the Olenya airfield. The airfield is used to operate Russian strategic bombers. It was also said that Ukraine launched A-22 Flying Fox (Foxbat) type unmanned aerial vehicles.

One of the drones was flying from the side of Norway

One of the UAVs spotted in the Murmansk region was flying from the side of a NATO member country. Shot Telegram channel claims that the drone was flying from the side of Norway. It was spotted at around 11 o'clock. Preliminary, it was heading towards the Olenya airfield. Two and a half hours before that, two more UAVs were spotted in the sky over the Murmansk region flying from the side of the Arkhangelsk region of Russia.

A Ukrainian drone was shot down in the Far North of Russia in late August. The UAV, also an A22 Foxbat, flew for 1,800 kilometers and could have attacked the Olenya military airfield.

Details

Olenya (also Olenegorsk) has been a major Russian Navy reconnaissance base, located on the Kola Peninsula 92 km south of Murmansk. As of 2020, units at the base are subordinate to the Long-Range Aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces. The base and its staff settlement (Vysoky, Murmansk Oblast), across Lake Permusozero from the city of Olenegorsk, are served by the Olenegorsk rail station (formerly Olenya station). Olenya has served as the headquarters for 5 MRAD (Naval Reconnaissance Air Division), and has hosted two reconnaissance regiments. Its 3500-meter runway is the longest on the Kola Peninsula, making it a key facility for intercontinental flights across the North Atlantic basin. The base is home to the 40th Composite Aviation Regiment as part of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division.

Murmansk is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far northwest part of Russia. It sits on both slopes and banks of a modest ria or fjord, Kola Bay, an estuarine inlet of the Barents Sea, with its bulk on the east bank of the inlet. It is in the north of the rounded Kola Peninsula which covers most of the oblast. The city is 108 kilometres (67 mi) from the border with Norway and 182 kilometres (113 mi) from the border with Finland. Benefiting from the North Atlantic Current, Murmansk resembles cities of its size across western Russia, with highway and railway access to the rest of Europe, and the northernmost trolleybus system on Earth. It lies over 2° north of the Arctic Circle. Its connectivity contrasts with the isolation of Arctic ports like the Siberian Dikson on the shores of the Kara Sea, and Iqaluit, in the Canadian Arctic. Despite long, snowy winters, Murmansk's climate is moderated by the generally ice-free waters around it.