Camilla Jessen
Moscow says it repelled one of the largest drone waves to date.
Russian authorities said Wednesday that their air defenses intercepted more than 100 Ukrainian drones overnight in one of the largest reported drone assaults on Russian territory since the start of the full-scale war.
According to the media outlet Digi24, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that 112 drones were shot down between 9 p.m. and midnight across at least six different regions, including Bryansk, Smolensk, and the Moscow metropolitan area.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed that 27 drones were downed as they approached the capital.
He said no casualties were reported and that emergency crews were analyzing drone debris at several impact sites.
Bryansk, Smolensk Also Targeted
In the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine, 59 drones were reportedly intercepted. The local governor said a house and six cars were damaged, but no one was hurt.
In Smolensk, a region near the Polish border, another 11 drones were shot down. Again, no injuries were reported.
These attacks mirror a recent pattern of Ukrainian drone swarms targeting Russian cities and military infrastructure, escalating what has become a nightly drone war across border zones and deep into Russian territory.
Ukraine Also Under Intense Fire
The drone strikes come as Ukraine is also enduring some of its heaviest aerial bombardments in months.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that over 900 drones and missiles were launched by Russia during a three-day assault that ended early Monday morning.
Among the hardest-hit areas were cities in central and western Ukraine, with one strike on Saturday night killing at least 12 people, including three children in the Zhytomyr region.
Ukrainian officials described the attacks as among the largest since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.