Media: Massive Ukrainian drone attack on Russia becomes largest of 2026

A Ukrainian drone attack on Russia on the night of August 16, during which 822 drones were intercepted and destroyed over Russian regions and the waters of the Azov and Black seas, was the largest such attack since the beginning of the year, according to TASS calculations based on data from Russia’s Defense Ministry.

During the night, 822 drones were intercepted and destroyed over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Tambov and Tula regions, as well as the Moscow region, Krasnodar region, the Republic of Crimea, and the waters of the Azov and Black seas.

The previous major Ukrainian drone attack on Russian regions was recorded on the night of August 15, when Russian air defenses shot down 598 Ukrainian drones.

Before that, the largest drone attack since the beginning of 2026 occurred on June 26, when 660 drones were shot down and intercepted over Russian regions.

By Jeyhun Aghazada