'UFO' Shot Down Near The Sea Of Azov, Claims Russian Air Defenses

A "UFO" has been shot down by anti-aircraft batteries in the southern Russian region of Rostov, according to local news reports.

Vasily Golubev, the governor of the region, reported on Telegram on Tuesday, Jan. 3, that a "small-size object in the shape of a ball" had been seen flying above Sultan Sala in the Myasnikovsky district of the area at a height of around 1.5 miles, Daily Star reported.

Local air defenses instantly began to target the unknown object. According to the local news source Pivyet Rostov, "a UFO in the form of a ball was shot down in the sky."

Golubev asked people to remain calm by explaining that "the decision was taken to liquidate" the object. He informed the people that there was no danger because "the sky is covered with anti-aircraft defenses."

A video of an explosion in the sky from a shining, ball-shaped object was broadcast on the local news channel Ostorozhna, Novosti.

A strategically significant position is occupied by Rostov on the sea of Azov, a body of water bounded by Russia on the east, and by Ukraine on the northwest and southwest.

Along with two recently annexed territories, the province was included as one of six Russian regions where Russian President Vladimir Putin has instituted a "medium-response level."

This involves limitations on movement and other measures to maintain public order. Drones from Ukraine have been accused of setting off a number of explosions and fires at important locations inside Russia, possibly under the direction of agents operating within the country's borders.

On Boxing Day, the Russian army was commemorating the 107th anniversary of the formation of its first air defense units when the Engels airbase, located deep inside Russia, was attacked.

A squadron of nuclear-capable bombers is stationed at the site, which is 300 miles from Russia's border with Ukraine and another 100 miles from the current frontline in the Donbas region.

According to the New York Times, Ukraine carried out the attack using drones with the assistance of a military reconnaissance team that coordinated it from a location deep inside Russian territory.