Russia shot down 419 Ukrainian drones across the country overnight, the defense ministry said Tuesday. Kyiv has stepped up its long-range drone strike campaign against Russia in recent months, particularly against energy infrastructure to target a vital source of the Kremlin’s revenue to fund its war effort, now in its fifth year.
Air Defense Intercepts
Air defense systems “intercepted and destroyed 419 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles” around the country, the defense ministry posted on the state-run Max platform. It did not say if there were any deaths or injuries.
Moscow’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said earlier that air defense forces had shot down 50 “enemy drones” overnight headed for the capital. The swarm came days after Russia shot down 660 Ukrainian drones between Thursday and Friday, one of the highest figures since the start of the conflict.
Infrastructure Damage
A Ukrainian attack also caused a fire last week at a refinery in the southeast of Moscow. The ongoing drone campaign underscores Ukraine’s strategy to disrupt Russian energy infrastructure, which is crucial for funding the Kremlin’s military operations.
