Russian troops down 46 Ukrainian drones across four regions

The Russian military shot down 46 Ukrainian drones over the Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk and Oryol regions on the night of March 17 to 18.

“During last night, 46 Ukrainian drones were destroyed and intercepted by on-duty air defence means: 41 UAVs - over the territory of Belgorod region, two UAVs were destroyed over the territories of Bryansk and Kursk regions and one UAV - over the territory of Orel region,” the Russian Defense Ministry said, Caliber.Az reports.

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