Russia says it downed 121 Ukrainian drones over 14 hours

MOSCOW — Russia's Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that air defense systems intercepted 121 Ukrainian drones during a 14-hour overnight period, between 07:00 and 21:00 local time on June 30. The ministry said the drones were brought down over 13 Russian regions, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Kaluga, Kursk, Smolensk, Rostov, Ryazan, Tambov, Tver, Tula and the Moscow region, along with Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Crimea and the waters of the Sea of Azov. It said on-duty air defense units intercepted and destroyed the unmanned aerial vehicles as they crossed into Russian airspace. The ministry added that Russia would continue to block what it described as Ukraine's recent intensification of drone strikes against Russian territory.