Air defense systems repelled another wave of drone attacks overnight on March 18, according to Russia’s Defense Ministry, which reported that 85 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs were intercepted and destroyed.

The heaviest strike targeted Krasnodar Krai, where 42 drones were downed. Another 13 UAVs were eliminated over the Black Sea, and six over the Sea of Azov. Five drones were shot down in both Bryansk Region and Crimea, while four were intercepted over Adygea. In Leningrad Region, air defenses destroyed three UAVs. Voronezh and Astrakhan Regions each saw two drones downed. Single UAVs were intercepted over Kaluga and Smolensk Regions, as well as Stavropol Krai.

The tempo of attacks remained high throughout March 17. Between 13:00 and 20:00 Moscow time, air defenses destroyed 35 drones. Earlier, from 9:00 to 13:00, another 30 UAVs were intercepted, and 12 more were shot down between 7:00 and 9:00.

Ukrainian forces continue near-daily attempts to strike Russia’s border areas and newly incorporated regions, including civilian infrastructure. In response, Russian forces use precision weapons launched from air, sea, and land, along with drones, targeting what are described as military objectives and Ukraine’s defense-industrial facilities.

Military expert and air defense historian Yuri Knutov had previously argued that Russia should focus on striking vessels involved in transporting drone components. In his assessment, NATO countries have already developed schemes to disguise such cargo as civilian shipments.