MOSCOW (MNN); Russia’s air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 389 Ukrainian drones overnight, marking the largest reported drone attack on Russian territory and Crimea since the war began more than four years ago, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday.
According to officials, the drones were shot down across 13 Russian regions as well as the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The масштаб of the attack highlights Ukraine’s growing capability to develop and deploy long-range drones domestically.
The strike came just a day after Russia launched nearly 1,000 drones and 34 missiles at civilian areas across Ukraine within 24 hours, extending its usual nighttime attacks into daylight. Ukrainian authorities reported at least six people killed and around 50 injured in one of the largest aerial assaults of the war.
Meanwhile, the United Nations cultural body UNESCO expressed deep concern after a World Heritage site in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv was struck during the bombardment.
The escalation in aerial attacks comes as US-mediated peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv remain paused, with Washington’s focus shifting toward the Iran conflict and Ukraine bracing for a potential spring offensive by Russian forces.
