Russia says it downed 75 Ukrainian drones in six hours

MOSCOW — Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses intercepted 75 Ukrainian drones during a six-hour period on June 29, between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. Moscow time. The ministry said the drones were shot down over the Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Voronezh, Tula, Kaluga, Smolensk and Moscow regions, as well as over Krasnodar Krai and the Republic of Crimea. Additional drones were neutralized over the waters of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, according to the statement. The ministry did not provide further details on the incident or any potential losses on the Ukrainian side, and Ukrainian authorities had not issued an immediate public response by the time of the report. The report comes amid a continuing pattern of long-range drone exchanges between the two countries since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.