Russia Claims Overnight Destruction of 158 Ukrainian Drones Across Multiple Regions

On Wednesday, Russia’s military announced that its air defense systems successfully intercepted 158 Ukrainian drones across nearly a dozen regions and over the Black Sea during the night.

Officials from at least three regions, including one not mentioned in the Ministry of Defense’s morning briefing, reported that Ukrainian drones targeted military facilities or nearby areas.

In Russia’s Orenburg region, bordering Kazakhstan, Governor Yevgeny Solntsev stated that air defense systems thwarted an attack on a military air base without any reported injuries or damage.

The Telegram news channel Astra identified the air base as Orenburg-2, located over 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) east of the Ukrainian border. Notably, the Defense Ministry did not report any drone interceptions in the Orenburg area.

In North Ossetia, a republic in the North Caucasus, Governor Sergei Menyaylo mentioned that debris from a downed drone landed on an «empty building» in the Mozdoksky district, assuring that drone strikes in the area caused no injuries.

Astra reported that residents noticed drone strikes targeting a military airfield near Mozdok, which is more than 700 kilometers (430 miles) away from the front lines in eastern Ukraine.

Last June, the Ukrainian military launched an attack on the Mozdok air base, which hosts MiG-31K fighter jets armed with Kinzhal hypersonic missiles and Tu-22M3 supersonic bombers used in operations against Ukrainian cities.

In the Penza region, located southeast of Moscow, Governor Oleg Melnichenko reported no casualties or damage from drone attacks in the Serdobsky district. Astra noted that this district houses an arsenal of missile and artillery weapons belonging to a Russian unit that was targeted in October.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that air defense systems intercepted Ukrainian drones in the Krasnodar, Rostov, Voronezh, and Kursk regions, along with the North Ossetia republic.

Additionally, smaller quantities of drones were shot down in Belgorod, Penza, Saratov, Oryol, and Stavropol regions, as well as over Crimea, the Black Sea, and the Sea of Azov.