Russia Claims to Have Shot Down 250 Ukrainian Drones in 12 Hours

Russia’s air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 250 Ukrainian drones within a 12-hour period, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence on Saturday (22/8) local time. The ministry said the 250 fixed-wing Ukrainian drones were shot down between 08.00 and 20.00 Moscow time. The drones were detected flying over 19 Russian regions, including the Moscow region. The statement did not provide details regarding damage or casualties resulting from the drone attacks that were claimed to have been successfully thwarted. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the number of drones flying towards the Moscow region over the past week had reached more than 2,600 units. According to him, most of the drones were neutralised by air defence systems in outlying areas far from the city centre. A total of 493 drones were reportedly destroyed as they approached Moscow. The claim was made amid the ongoing drone attacks between Russia and Ukraine. Both countries have increasingly relied on drones in the conflict that has been ongoing since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Information regarding the number of drones intercepted and destroyed came from the Russian side and could not be independently verified.