ALMATY (Reuters) -Kazakhstan’s defence ministry said on Thursday that it was tightening control of the country’s airspace after a drone of “unknown origin” exploded in the country’s west, close to the border with Russia.

In a statement on Telegram, the ministry said that the explosion occurred in a remote area around 180km (111 miles) miles west of the Russian city of Orenburg, which was hit by Ukrainian drones last week.

The ministry gave no indication as to the drone’s origin, but said: “Consultations are also underway with foreign partners who may potentially own these devices.”

Kazakhstan has been hit by the fallout of an escalating campaign of Ukrainian drone strikes against Russian energy targets.

The drone strike on Russia’s Orenburg gas plant, which processes gas from Kazakhsta

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