Russia says air defenses downed 168 Ukrainian drones in 13 hours

MOSCOW — Russia's Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 168 Ukrainian drones over a 13-hour period, in what appeared to be one of the largest single-day tallies reported by Moscow. The ministry said the drones were brought down between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Moscow time on June 21. According to the statement, the aircraft were intercepted over the Moscow, Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Rostov, Tver, Tula and Smolensk regions, as well as over Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea and the waters of the Black Sea and Sea of Azov. The ministry did not provide details on the intended targets of the drones or report damage on the ground. It repeated its characterization of Ukraine's long-range drone strikes against Russian border areas and interior regions as ongoing. The 168-drone figure over a single daytime window underscores the intensity of air defense operations across multiple Russian regions and occupied territories.