Russia says it shot down 426 Ukrainian drones over 12 regions in 12 hours

MOSCOW — Russia's Defense Ministry said Thursday its forces intercepted and destroyed 426 Ukrainian drones across 12 regions and Crimea between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. Moscow time. The ministry said air defense units operated over Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, Tula and Moscow oblasts, as well as over the territory of the Republic of Crimea. The ministry claimed the downed drones had been targeting both civilian infrastructure and military sites. Russia has said in recent weeks that Ukrainian drone strikes against its border regions and interior areas have been increasing in frequency and scale. Ukraine has framed its long-range strikes as an effort to erode Russia's offensive capability and stretch the country's air defense networks. The competing claims form part of the information war accompanying the broader conflict, with each side issuing daily counts of intercepted drones and missiles that are difficult to verify independently. The breadth of the reported interceptions, spanning regions deep inside Russian territory, highlights the strain on Moscow's air defenses as Kyiv expands its use of unmanned aircraft for long-range attacks.