The regime, announced by the regional authorities and reported by the NEFT Telegram channel, means drones have been detected in the region's airspace, according to the authorities' wording.
Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) suspended operations at six airports: Khanty-Mansiysk, Surgut, Sovetsky, Igrim, Nyagan and Urai. Residents were told not to go outside, not to approach windows and to remain in a safe place until the regime is lifted. The authorities also warned of disruptions to communications and mobile internet.
Students in the second shift at all educational institutions were switched to remote learning. A teacher at a local school told NeMoskva that the region first declared a "drone danger" regime, indicating drones were approaching the region, and an hour later a warning appeared of an actual drone incursion. According to him, during a lesson everyone was ordered over the loudspeaker to go down to the basement, a protocol that had to be followed for the first time.
The Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug accounts for 40% of all Russian oil production. The Nyagangazpererabotka processing plant and the Surgut condensate stabilization plant named after Chernomyrdin are located in the region. Until now, the region's cities and enterprises had not been subjected to direct drone attacks. On May 5, a missile alert was declared in the okrug for the first time.
The nearest target to the okrug to have been attacked is the Tyumen refinery, about 200 km from the administrative border; it was struck on July 25. Earlier, the region's social development department proposed including the consequences of drone strikes in the list of "extreme life situations" so that those affected could receive hot meals, food packages, clothing and essential items from the state.
The distance from the border with Ukraine to the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug is more than 2,000 km; according to The Moscow Times, about 2,500 km.