Russian Air Defence downs 11 Ukrainian drones overnight

Russian air defence units intercepted and destroyed 11 Ukrainian drones overnight in a series of attempted incursions across several regions of the country, according to a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Defence.

The drones were identified as fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and were neutralised by air defence systems operating on standby duty, Caliber.Az reports.

The ministry detailed the geographic spread of the interceptions:

• Three drones were shot down over the Tula region.

• Two each were destroyed over the Belgorod and Kursk regions.

• One drone was intercepted over each of the Bryansk, Kaluga, and Oryol regions.

No casualties or material damage have been reported in connection with the incident so far. Authorities have not disclosed whether the drones carried explosives or surveillance equipment.

In February 2022, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, citing the need to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine, accusations that were widely rejected internationally as unfounded. The invasion was preceded by Russia's recognition of the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics in eastern Ukraine, and in the months that followed, it quickly became one of the largest land wars in Europe since World War II.  

The war has caused widespread devastation in Ukraine. Millions of civilians have been displaced, both internally and externally as refugees. The war has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, with cities like Mariupol and Bucha seeing significant destruction and war crimes accusations against Russian troops.

By Khagan Isayev