Russia shoots down dozens of Ukrainian drones – MOD

Incoming UAVs targeted seven regions, the Defense Ministry has said

Air defenses destroyed 32 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Wednesday.

Saratov Region appeared to be the prime target, with 11 UAVs shot down, the ministry statement said.

Four drones were destroyed in the Kursk and Rostov Regions, three in the Belgorod and Bryansk Regions, two in Krasnodar Region, one in Volgograd Region and four more over the Sea of Azov, the statement read.

Saratov Region Governor Roman Busargin wrote on Telegram that the cities of Saratov and Engels came under “a large-scale UAV attack overnight.” He thanked the military for “ensuring security” in the region.

A fire broke out at an industrial facility as a result of a drone strike, but no one was injured, he said.

In a later post, Busargin said he had visited the site of the blaze, and gave assurances that there were “enough forces and means to localize the fire.”

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Flight have been halted at the airports in Saratov, Ulyanovsk, Kazan and Nizhnekamsk during the drone raid, Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsia, said. All restrictions have been lifted by now.

Kiev intensified its fixed-wing drone incursions into Russia in early 2024, mainly targeting energy infrastructure, but also hitting residential areas. Moscow responded by adding Ukrainian power plants to its list of legitimate military targets, destroying or disabling most of Ukraine’s non-nuclear electricity generation.

In December, several Ukrainian fixed-wing drones hit high-rise residential buildings and a factory in the Russian city of Kazan, in what the media described as a “9/11-style attack.” The Defense Ministry said six UAVs were destroyed, but some made it through, causing damage, but no casualties.

On New Year’s Eve, Russian air defenses shot down 68 drones in several regions near the border with Ukraine. A fuel depot in Smolensk Region was damaged in the raid, according to local officials.