Russia says its air defences downed 121 Ukrainian drones overnight

Air defence forces shot down 121 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions on the night of December 8 to 9, the Russian Defence Ministry told TASS.

For instance, just prior to this event, Russia launched over 1,600 drones and 1,200 guided bombs at Ukraine in the week ending December 7, killing at least two civilians and targeting power grids .

According to TASS calculations, Russian forces have downed over 60,000 Ukrainian UAVs in 2025 alone—exceeding totals from previous years (28,700 in 2024, 7,500 in 2023, and 2,700 in 2022). This reflects Ukraine's intensified use of low-cost, long-range drones to target Russian military infrastructure, oil refineries, and logistics hubs deep inside the country.

By Khagan Isayev