Russian air defense forces repelled a large-scale drone assault overnight from April 2 to April 3, according to the Ministry of Defense. Between 23:00 and 08:00 Moscow time, air defenses intercepted and destroyed 192 Ukrainian fixed-wing UAVs.

The attack spanned a wide geographic area. Drones were shot down over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Novgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Pskov, Rostov, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tula, Tver, and Oryol regions, as well as over the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, and the Republic of Crimea.

Bryansk Region governor Alexander Bogomaz reported that 57 drones were eliminated there overnight. He stated that air defense units of the Ministry of Defense, mobile fire teams from the BARS-Bryansk brigade, and Rosgvardiya special units were involved in countering the attack. According to him, no casualties or damage were recorded, while emergency and operational services continue working at the sites.

Heavy drone activity had also been recorded throughout the previous day. On April 2, between 20:00 and 23:00, air defenses downed 46 UAVs. Most were intercepted over the Belgorod and Bryansk regions, with 17 and 16 drones respectively. Additional interceptions included four drones over Krasnodar Krai, three over the Kursk region and the Black Sea, two over the Tula region, and one over the Pskov region.

Earlier that day, from 14:00 to 20:00, air defenses destroyed 98 drones across multiple regions, including Bryansk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Pskov, Ryazan, Smolensk, and Tula, as well as over the Moscow region, Crimea, and the waters of the Azov Sea.

In the morning hours, between 07:00 and 14:00, another 49 UAVs were intercepted. These were detected over the Bryansk, Belgorod, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Pskov, Smolensk, and Tver regions, along with the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, Crimea, Bashkortostan, and the Azov and Black Sea areas.