Russia says it downed 245 Ukrainian drones in 24 hours

MOSCOW — Russia's Defense Ministry said Wednesday that air defenses intercepted 245 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory and the Black Sea in the past 24 hours. The ministry said the drones were fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. According to the statement, the drones targeted Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Novgorod, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Orenburg, Rostov, Ryazan, Tula and Smolensk regions, along with the Moscow and Krasnodar regions, the Republic of Crimea and Black Sea waters. Air defense units continued operations against the attacks throughout the day, the ministry added. The statement included a detailed breakdown of the drones intercepted by region, though it did not specify damage on the ground. There was no immediate comment from Ukrainian authorities on the claims. Russia and Ukraine have carried out long-range strikes against each other throughout the war, with both sides reporting large numbers of drones intercepted on a regular basis.