PSKOV, December 29. /TASS/. Several drone attacks have been thwarted in Russia’s northwestern Pskov Region by citizens’ volunteer neighborhood watch patrols and local law enforcement, in an incident similar to the overnight air raid on the Pskov airport on August 30, Pskov Region Governor Mikhail Vedernikov said to the Pln-fm regional radio station.
"A squad of the Pskov Region’s ‘Druzhina’ volunteer neighborhood watch patrol has played a significant role in the prevention of drone attacks, after the [patrols were established in July before the last drone] strike on the Pskov airport in late summer. It was necessary to survey potential drone launch sites on the following day. There were several areas that needed to be examined and checked. The 'Druzhina' patrol members carried out this work in conjunction with the police. In that 24-hour period, several suspicious cars were detected, which were later verified by law enforcement officers. Several attempted drone launches, including toward the [regional] airport, were thwarted," he said in an interview with the radio station.
On the night of August 30, the Pskov airport came under a drone attack. Earlier, on July 10, Vedernikov said that the regional authorities had set up a voluntary neighborhood watch patrol program to help local authorities ensure security across the region.