Russia says five injured in massive overnight Ukrainian drone attack on Novorossiysk

MOSCOW, March 2 (Reuters) - Five people were injured and 20 buildings damaged in a massive overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the southern Russian city of Novorossiysk, which hosts a port and a naval base, local authorities said on Monday.

The Russian Defence Ministry said it had downed 172 Ukrainian drones overnight, including 67 over the Black Sea and 66 over the Krasnodar region where Novorossiysk is located.

"All night long, our military repelled a massive attack by Ukrainian drones. The strongest strike hit Novorossiysk, where a state of emergency was declared," Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Krasnodar region, said.

Andrei Kravchenko, the mayor of Novorossiysk, posted images of some of the damage on his Telegram channel and said preliminary information suggested that eight residential tower blocks had been damaged along with nine private houses and three kindergartens.

Five people who sustained injuries in the attack were being treated in hospital, he said.

Drone debris also fell on a grain terminal in Novorossiysk, but did not cause any damage, the Interfax news agency reported, citing the head of the company that operates the facility.