Russian air defenses repelled a large-scale drone assault overnight on March 16, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. From 23:00 Moscow time on March 15 until 08:00 on March 16, air defense units intercepted and destroyed 145 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles.

The largest number of drones was shot down over the Moscow region, where 53 UAVs were intercepted. Of those, 46 were reportedly heading directly toward Moscow. Another 38 drones were destroyed over the Bryansk region.

Air defenses also downed 11 UAVs over the Yaroslavl region, eight over the Kaluga region, and seven over the Smolensk region. Five drones were intercepted over both the Rostov and Ulyanovsk regions, while four were destroyed over the Tver region. Three UAVs each were shot down over the Voronezh and Kostroma regions, as well as over Crimea. Two drones were eliminated over the Volgograd region, and one each over the Krasnodar Territory and the Saratov region.

Earlier on the evening of March 15, Russian air defenses had already been engaged in countering drone attacks. Between 20:00 and 23:00 Moscow time, they intercepted and destroyed 28 UAVs. Twelve of those were downed over the Bryansk region, seven over the Moscow region, including three that were reportedly flying toward the capital. Another three drones were destroyed over the Voronezh region, two each over the Belgorod and Smolensk regions, and one each over the Kursk and Tula regions.

Drone activity had been recorded across several regions throughout the day. From 14:00 to 20:00 Moscow time, air defense systems destroyed 113 UAVs. Most of them — 73 — were shot down over the Bryansk region. Another 18 drones were intercepted over the Moscow region, including 14 heading toward Moscow. Seven UAVs were destroyed over the Kaluga region, six over the Smolensk region, and five over the Kursk region. One drone each was downed over the Belgorod, Tver, and Yaroslavl regions, as well as over the waters of the Black Sea.

Earlier still, between 08:00 and 14:00 Moscow time, Russian air defenses reported destroying 125 drones. Fifty-one UAVs were intercepted over the Bryansk region, while 38 were downed over the Moscow region, including 28 flying toward the capital. Nineteen drones were eliminated over the Kaluga region, five each over the Belgorod and Tula regions, three over the Smolensk region, and two over the Vladimir region. One UAV each was destroyed over the Kursk and Tver regions.

Several regions also reported the consequences of drone attacks on March 15. In the Bryansk region, Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said a civilian was injured in the Pogar district after a strike damaged a tractor.

In the Volgograd region, a drone struck a residential apartment building. Governor Andrei Bocharov said there were no casualties.

A fire was also reported at an oil depot on the outskirts of Tikhoretsk in the Krasnodar Territory after drone debris fell in the area. The regional operational headquarters later said the blaze had been fully extinguished, and preliminary information indicated that no one had been injured.