Moscow (TDI): Russia announced on Sunday that its air defense systems had intercepted 120 Ukrainian drones overnight, most of them in regions along the Ukrainian border.
The Defense Ministry reported no damage from the attacks.
The majority of the drones were reportedly downed over the western regions of Bryansk (30), Kursk (29), and Belgorod (17), all of which directly border Ukraine and have seen frequent drone activity since the war began over three years ago.
In addition, 18 drones were intercepted over the Oryol region, which lies adjacent to Kursk and has previously been targeted in drone strikes aimed at oil infrastructure.
Read More: US Envoy Flags Dangerous Phase After Ukraine’s Deep Strikes on Russia
Ukraine has increasingly relied on long-range drone operations to strike inside Russian territory, often focusing on military and logistical targets.
Russia’s civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, confirmed that temporary flight restrictions imposed overnight at airports in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kaluga, and Nizhny Novgorod were lifted by Sunday morning after the drone threat had passed.
Ukrainian forces claimed Saturday they had carried out a strike on a Russian air base inside the Voronezh region, as Russia continued its relentless aerial bombardment of Ukraine with hundreds of drones overnight.
Read More:Â Russia, Ukraine Hold New Peace Talks in Istanbul
Ukraine’s military General Staff said the target was the Borisoglebsk airfield, which it described as a key base for Russia’s fleet of Su-34, Su-35S, and Su-30SM fighter jets.
A statement posted on Facebook said the strike hit a depot storing glide bombs, a training aircraft, and potentially other military assets.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
