Over 100 Ukrainian drones intercepted above Russia overnight
Russian air defenses have shot down 112 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has reported.
The interceptions took place in 13 Russian regions, the ministry said in a statement on Friday morning.
Most of the drones – 24 – were destroyed in Moscow Region, followed by Crimea, where 22 UAVs were downed, the statement read.
A total of 18 interceptions took place above Tula Region, with 11 more above Kursk Region, it added.
Air defenses were also deployed in the Orel, Bryansk, Ryazan, Kaluga, Belgorod, Ivanovo, Vladimir, Voronezh, and Lipetsk regions, the ministry said.
Airports in Moscow and several other regions were forced to put flights on hold due to the drone incursions.
In the city of Yelets in Lipetsk Region, the debris of a destroyed UAV fell on the territory of an industrial site, slightly injuring eight people, local governor Igor Artamonov said.
Elsewhere in the city, the fragments of a UAV hit the roof of a multi-story residential building, causing damage to 20 apartments, the governor wrote on Telegram. He added that injuries were avoided in the incident.
Ukraine has intensified its drone incursions into Russia this week, with the Defense Ministry in Moscow announcing on Thursday that a total of 485 Ukrainian UAVs have shot down across the country since Tuesday.
Over the past several days, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has reported the destruction of dozens of drones approaching the Russian capital. Moscow's Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, Vnukovo, and Sheremetyevo Airports have repeatedly halted their operations amid the raids, causing significant flight delays.
There was also a spike in attempted Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow in early May as the city prepared for the festivities commemorating the 80th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
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