(Russian Defense Ministry) announces the downing of 822 Ukrainian drones
Moscow, August 16 (KUNA) -- The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday that its forces shot down 822 Ukrainian drones in various Russian regions during the night hours. Russian media quoted the ministry as confirming that air defense systems intercepted these drones over several Russian areas, marking one of the largest waves of aerial attacks Russia has witnessed since the start of the Russo-Ukrainian war.
Meanwhile, the Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin as stating that 600 drones were heading toward the Moscow region between Saturday evening and Sunday morning. He noted that 201 drones were destroyed in the region’s airspace, while emergency services began dealing with debris sites.
For his part, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov told reporters that Russian air defense and electronic warfare systems shot down 187 drones over the region’s territory during the night. He pointed out that three people were injured in the city of Podolsk as a result of the Ukrainian attack. Vorobyov added that the attack caused a fire at a warehouse belonging to the Kolyadino industrial complex in Podolsk, and another fire broke out at a medical supplies warehouse in Domodedovo, with no injuries reported among workers. Damage was also inflicted on a police building in Kashira and industrial facilities in Voskresensk.
Russian authorities also reported the death of an 83-year-old man after a drone struck a house in one of the districts of Moscow Region. Operations to clear attack debris and handle drone wreckage continued at several sites.
In a related development, Russian authorities announced that the death toll from a drone attack in Rostov Region had risen to five, following the discovery of two additional bodies.
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian Armed Forces carried out an intensive strike on several facilities in Ukraine, describing them as linked to military industries, weapons and fuel production, and military logistics. The ministry explained that the strikes targeted industrial facilities in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and its region, including a factory it said produced components and warheads, as well as solid fuel boosters for Flamingsho rockets, alongside the Kyiv-111 facility, which it claimed produced components for interceptor missiles and drones.
The ministry added that Russian forces also targeted an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, industrial and metallurgical facilities in Dnipropetrovsk Region, and a cargo ship in the port of Odesa, which it said was carrying military supplies for Ukrainian forces.
These attacks come amid a mutual escalation in the use of long-range drones between Russia and Ukraine, with the scope of operations increasingly shifting to areas far from the front lines, targeting military, industrial, logistical, and energy facilities. The wave of attacks on the Moscow region ranks among the largest drone strikes targeting the Russian capital and its surroundings since the war began. (End) D.A.N. / M.A.A.
