New Round of the Night Drone War: Russia Intercepts 419 Ukrainian Drones

During the night between Monday and Tuesday, 419 Ukrainian drones targeted several Russian regions, including the capital, Moscow, just days after an unprecedented wave of attacks.

Russia’s Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that its air defense forces had intercepted 419 Ukrainian drones overnight, including several over the Moscow region.

In a statement, the ministry said: “During the night, between 8:00 p.m. Moscow time (17:00 GMT) on June 29 and 7:00 a.m. Moscow time (04:00 GMT) on June 30, air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 419 Ukrainian drones.”

The drones were intercepted across 19 regions, including the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed, the neighboring Russian region of Krasnodar, and the Moscow metropolitan area.

During the night from Thursday to Friday, Russian air defense systems had shot down 660 Ukrainian drones, marking the highest number recorded in a single such operation to date.

Earlier on Tuesday, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that 50 drones launched toward the Russian capital had been intercepted, adding that no casualties or damage had been reported so far.

He stated that emergency response teams had been deployed to the areas where drone debris had fallen, without providing further details.

In recent months, Ukraine has intensified its strikes on Russian territory, including Moscow, and at times has targeted locations far from the border. These attacks have focused particularly on transportation infrastructure and oil and gas storage facilities, with the aim of weakening Russia’s ability to finance the military offensive it launched in February 2022.

Meanwhile, Russia continues to carry out near-daily bombardments across Ukraine.