Russia says air defences downed 311 Ukrainian drones overnight
Version 2: Russia’s defence ministry reported a second, larger overnight wave of interceptions two days later, saying 311 drones were destroyed, up from the 199 it reported for the earlier night.
In short
Russia’s defence ministry said air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 311 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones overnight, a figure reported by TASS and Interfax. Interfax said the drones were downed over 15 Russian regions, Perm Krai, Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. Two nights earlier the ministry had reported downing 199 drones over Russian regions, including nine on the approach to Moscow.
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Russia’s defence ministry said air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 311 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones during the night, according to TASS and Interfax. Interfax attributed the figure to the ministry, and TASS carried the same number in a headline item. Neither report gave casualty or damage figures. [ 3 , 4 ]
Interfax said the drones were destroyed over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Oryol, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Smolensk, Tambov, Kaluga, Saratov, Samara, Penza, Rostov and Volgograd regions, as well as Perm Krai, the Republic of Crimea and over the Black and Azov seas. [ 4 ]
Two nights earlier, the ministry reported shooting down 199 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions in a single night, a figure carried by TASS and by Kommersant. Kommersant listed the areas where drones were downed as the border regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk, along with Kaluga, Oryol, Ryazan, Rostov and Tula regions, the Moscow region, Kuban, Crimea and the Black Sea. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said nine drones were shot down on the approach to the capital, Kommersant reported. [ 1 , 2 ]
Kommersant noted that massed drone attacks can affect not only the work of air defence but also civilian infrastructure. It recalled that in March 2025, after one such attack, arrivals and departures at Moscow airports were temporarily restricted and train traffic through Domodedovo was interrupted, and that in March 2024 schools in Buturlinovka were moved to remote learning after a drone attack. [ 2 ]
The reports do not state whether either night’s interceptions caused damage or casualties, do not give the hours during the night at which the drones were downed, and do not include any reaction from the Ukrainian side. The documents also do not explain the difference in the numbers of drones reported for the two nights. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Why it matters
The reports describe a second, larger overnight wave of interceptions within three days, and Kommersant notes that massed drone raids can affect civilian infrastructure as well as air defence, citing earlier disruption to Moscow airport operations and to schooling in one town. Beyond those consequences, the documents give no basis for wider significance.
Key facts
- Russia’s defence ministry said air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 311 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones during the night, according to TASS and Interfax. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Interfax said the drones were destroyed over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Tula, Oryol, Lipetsk, Voronezh, Smolensk, Tambov, Kaluga, Saratov, Samara, Penza, Rostov and Volgograd regions, Perm Krai, the Republic of Crimea and the Black and Azov seas. [ 4 ]
- Two nights earlier, the defence ministry reported shooting down 199 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions in a single night, a figure carried by TASS and Kommersant. [ 1 , 2 ]
- Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said nine drones were shot down on the approach to the capital, Kommersant reported. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant noted that massed drone attacks can affect civilian infrastructure, recalling temporary restrictions on arrivals and departures at Moscow airports and interrupted train traffic through Domodedovo in March 2025. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant also recalled that after a drone attack in March 2024, schools in Buturlinovka were switched to remote learning. [ 2 ]
- The documents give no casualty or damage figures for either night. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Russia’s defence ministry said air defence forces intercepted and destroyed 311 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones during the night, a figure carried by both TASS and Interfax. [ 3 , 4 ]
- The defence ministry is the stated source of the interception figures in all the reports. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]
- Two nights earlier the ministry reported 199 Ukrainian drones shot down over Russian regions during the night, a figure carried by both TASS and Kommersant. [ 1 , 2 ]
Still unclear
- Whether either night’s interceptions caused damage or casualties. Neither the ministry summaries nor the news reports state any damage or casualty figures.
- Whether Ukraine commented on the overnight attacks. No statement from the Ukrainian side appears in any of the documents.
- The specific hours during the night at which the drones were intercepted. The documents describe the interceptions only as having taken place over the night.
- Why the reported number of drones rose from 199 to 311 between the two nights. The documents give both figures but offer no explanation for the difference.
- Nine drones were shot down on the approach to Moscow, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. Reported by a single source — Kommersant, citing the mayor — so far.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS reports that 199 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian regions during the night. [ 1 ]
- Kommersant publishes the defence ministry’s summary with the regional breakdown and Sobyanin’s statement on nine drones downed on the approach to Moscow. [ 2 ]
- Two days later, TASS reports that 311 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian regions during the night. [ 3 ]
- Interfax reports the same 311-drone figure, attributed to the defence ministry, with the list of regions and sea areas. [ 4 ]