MOSCOW: Russia said on Tuesday that its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 419 Ukrainian drones in one of the latest large-scale aerial attacks launched by Kyiv, highlighting the growing intensity of the long-range drone campaign between the two countries.
According to Russia’s Defence Ministry, the drones were shot down overnight across multiple regions. The ministry said all of the aircraft were fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles but did not specify where the interceptions took place or whether the attacks caused casualties or damage.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin earlier reported that air defence units had destroyed 50 drones that were approaching the Russian capital during the night, preventing them from reaching the city.
Ukraine has significantly expanded its long-range drone operations in recent months, increasingly targeting locations deep inside Russian territory. The campaign has focused in part on energy facilities and other strategic infrastructure that Kyiv says help finance Russia’s military operations.
The latest barrage comes only days after Russia reported shooting down 660 Ukrainian drones over a two-day period, one of the largest waves of drone attacks since the war began more than five years ago.
Last week, a Ukrainian drone strike also triggered a fire at an oil refinery in the south-east of the Moscow region, underscoring Kyiv’s growing ability to strike high-value targets far from the frontline.
Neither side’s claims could be independently verified, and Ukraine had not immediately commented on Russia’s latest announcement.
