Russian forces have intercepted four Tochka-U tactical ballistic missiles and 117 kamikaze drones launched overnight by Ukraine at various parts of the country, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has reported.
Most were downed over Kursk Region, which Kiev invaded last week in what its leadership has touted as a way to secure a better position for future peace talks. All of the Soviet-era missiles and 37 of the drones were downed there, according to military and civilian officials.
Voronezh Region, another part of Russia bordering Ukraine, faced a barrage of 37 drones. Governor Aleksandr Gusev reported that there were no casualties on the ground, but said some of the debris fell in residential areas, causing damage to buildings and vehicles.
The military in Belgorod Region intercepted 17 Ukrainian drones, where there were drone attacks on two communities, according to Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov. One of them involved a smaller FPV drone as opposed to a long-range fixed-wing kamikaze UAV and seriously injured a truck driver. Another did major damage to an apartment in a five-story block, the official said, sharing images of the location.
More drones were intercepted over Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Bryansk, Oryol and Rostov regions, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, with no casualties immediately reported by local civilian authorities.
Kiev escalated its plane-type drone incursions into Russia in January, trying to cause damage to energy infrastructure. Moscow retaliated by adding Ukrainian power plants to its list of legitimate military targets.
Most of Ukraine’s non-nuclear generation capacity has been disabled or destroyed by Russian strikes.