Ukraine, Russia exchange drone attacks, both claim high interceptions

ISTANBUL

Ukraine’s military on Monday said that its air defense forces destroyed 76 out of 104 drones launched by Russian troops since Sunday evening, while Russia claimed its air defenses intercepted 21 Ukrainian drones overnight.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported on Telegram that Russian troops carried out strikes from multiple directions, including Kursk, Orel and Millerovo, using Shahed attack drones and simulator unmanned aerial vehicles.

“The air attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and mobile fire groups of the Defense Forces of Ukraine,” the statement said.

According to the military, drone fragments and impacts were recorded at 19 locations in northern and eastern Ukraine, while one person was killed and nine were injured in the Sumy region.

Local officials said residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure were also damaged.

Separately, the Ukrainian General Staff of the Armed Forces reported 159 combat clashes over the past day, with Russian forces carrying out one missile and 79 airstrikes, as well as more than 4,700 drone and artillery attacks.

Moscow, meanwhile, said its air defenses destroyed 21 Ukrainian drones between late Sunday and the morning of Aug. 25 over Smolensk, Bryansk, Oryol, Kaluga, Tver, and the Moscow region, including two heading toward the capital.

The Defense Ministry also claimed its forces destroyed a Ukrainian UAV control center and communications equipment in the Donetsk region.

The latest attacks follow weeks of intensified drone warfare between Ukraine and Russia, with both sides targeting military sites, infrastructure, and border regions.