The UAVs were intercepted above 14 of the country’s regions, Moscow’s Defense Ministry has said
Russian air defenses have destroyed 124 enemy drones over the country overnight, the Defense Ministry in Moscow said on Friday.
The large-scale attack by Kiev targeted at least 14 of Russia’s regions, the ministry said in a statement.
Bryansk Region appears to have been targeted the most, with a total of 37 UAVs shot down there, the statement read.
Another 20 drones were intercepted above the territory of Ryazan region, 17 above Kursk Region and 17 above Saratov Region, it said.
Six UAVs were destroyed over Moscow Region and one more over the Russian capital, the ministry stressed.
Air defenses were activated in Rostov, Belgorod, Voronezh, Tula, Orel, Lipetsk and Leningrad regions as well as in Crimea, it added.
Bryansk Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz wrote on Telegram on Friday that “the enemy made another attempt to carry out a massive attack on the territory of our region overnight.” There have been no casualties as a result of the raid, the governor said.
In Ryazan Region, the debris of a destroyed drone fell on a private home causing a fire, according to local governor Pavel Malkov. The blaze was swiftly extinguished, Malkov said, adding that he ordered the affected family to be provided with all necessary assistance.
Flights have been halted at the Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports in Moscow as well as at the airports in Kazan, Nizhnekamsk, Penza, Samara and Saratov during the drone raid, Russia’s federal air transport agency, Rosaviatsia, said.
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 the country’s non-nuclear electricity generation.
There have been several Ukrainian raids since the New Year, with one of them involving 85 UAVs, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.
In mid-January, Kiev attempted to target a gas compressor station in Russia’s Krasnodar Region with nine kamikaze drones. The site is crucial for the operation of the TurkStream pipeline, which delivers Russian natural gas to Türkiye and several European nations via the Black Sea. All of the UAVs were intercepted, although one of them crashed close to a gas meter and caused minor damage, Moscow said.
