Moscow Drone Raid: Russia Downs 301 Ukrainian UAVs
Russia says air defenses downed 301 Ukrainian drones in a night raid, with up to 80 UAVs heading toward Moscow after earlier attacks on Crimea and the south.
On the night of June 22, Ukrainian forces attempted to attack Moscow using drones. Throughout the night, Russian air defense units destroyed enemy UAVs along their flight route toward the capital, from the Kaluga Region to the Tver Region.
According to the Telegram channel «Arkhangel Spetsnaza», after a massive strike on Crimea, Ukrainian forces again shifted their focus to the Moscow Region. The channel’s authors believe the intensity of the raid points to an attempt to overload Russia’s air defense system ahead of a possible large-scale combined strike.
The Telegram channel said the enemy was trying to carve out an aerial corridor and force Russian defenses to spend resources on shooting down drones, while attacks were also carried out against Crimea and other southern areas.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that on the night of June 22, Russian air defenses shot down 301 Ukrainian drones. Fourteen regions of the country came under attack. According to the latest data, up to 80 UAVs were flying toward Moscow. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said emergency service specialists were working at the sites where debris had fallen.
Moscow had also faced its largest drone attack in two years on the night of June 18. Over nine and a half hours, 194 drones heading toward the capital were destroyed.