Russia Says Air Defenses Destroyed Over 1,000 Ukrainian Drones in 24 Hours

Russia Says Air Defenses Down 1,054 Ukrainian Drones

John Baker, Editor

22:01 17-05-2026

Russia says its air defenses destroyed 1,054 Ukrainian drones, eight guided bombs and several missiles in 24 hours, including a major May 17 attack.

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Russian air defense units destroyed more than 1,000 combat drones and shot down eight guided aerial bombs launched by the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the course of 24 hours, the Russian Defense Ministry said in its May 17 briefing.

According to the ministry, air defense systems downed 1,054 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles during that period.

The ministry also reported the interception of a HIMARS rocket, a long-range Flamingo cruise missile and a Neptune-MD long-range guided missile.

In addition, Black Sea Fleet forces destroyed six unmanned surface vessels.

Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry said air defenses had shot down 556 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight from May 16 to 17. That attack was described as the largest nighttime strike on Russian regions since the beginning of 2026.