Russian forces down over 70 Ukrainian drones over six regions

Russian air defense forces destroyed 77 Ukrainian drones over six Russian regions on the night of March 12 to 13.  

As many as 30 drones were shot down over the Bryansk region, 25 over the Kaluga region, six over the Kursk and Voronezh regions each, and five over the Rostov and Belgorod regions, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

Following the crash of a drone in the Dzerzhinsky district of the Kaluga region, a technical building at an industrial facility caught fire, leaving one employee with minor injuries, regional governor Vladislav Shapsha said.

According to him, in the Khvastovichi district, a drone crash damaged a communication tower and a power line.  

In the Rostov region, a drone crash in the Kalininsky farmstead caused a fire at an industrial site, according to regional head Yuriy Slyusar Gusev. A wildfire at the crash site was extinguished after several hours. A nearby industrial facility was not affected by the burning dry grass.  

In the Voronezh region, a drone damaged an infrastructure facility, causing a fire that was promptly extinguished. No casualties were reported.

Ukraine began using drone attacks on Russian territory early in the conflict, with significant escalation in 2022.

The first notable instances of Ukrainian drones attacking Russian targets occurred in the summer of 2022. Ukrainian military officials were reported as having used both commercially available drones and military-grade UAVs to target Russian military infrastructure, logistics, and supply lines.

Drone attacks became more frequent and widespread in 2023, with Ukraine increasingly using drones to target Russian cities and military installations, including in Crimea and along the Russian border. Ukraine's drone capabilities expanded further in 2024 and into 2025, with advanced models capable of longer-range operations.

By Khagan Isayev