Russian Ministry of Defence said its air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 103 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions between 4:00 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. Moscow time, marking one of the largest reported drone barrages in a single evening.
In a statement, the ministry said the unmanned aerial vehicles were fixed-wing drones detected and neutralised by air defence systems operating across western and southern parts of the country.
Breakdown by Region
According to the statement, the interceptions were distributed as follows:
- 44 drones over Bryansk Oblast
- 18 drones over Kaluga Oblast
- 18 drones over Moscow Oblast
- 5 drones over Tula Oblast
- 4 drones over Oryol Oblast
- 4 drones over Crimea
- 4 drones over the Sea of Azov
- 3 drones over Rostov Oblast
- 1 drone each over Kursk Oblast, Tver Oblast, and Krasnodar Krai
The ministry did not report casualties or significant damage resulting from the interceptions.
Background to the Conflict
Russian officials reiterated that what Moscow calls its “special military operation,” launched on 24 February 2022, aims to protect residents of the Donbas region. Ukraine and its allies reject this characterization and describe the operation as a full-scale invasion.
The incident underscores the continuing escalation in aerial warfare, with drones increasingly used to target infrastructure and military assets far from front lines.
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