Popov Says Drones That Attacked Penza May Have Flown Along the Volga

Penza Drone Attack May Have Used Volga Route, Popov Says

16:02 01-07-2026

Major General Vladimir Popov says drones that attacked Penza may have used the Volga or Kalmykia routes before Russian air defenses downed UAVs.

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Ukrainian drones that attacked Penza overnight may have passed through the Volga area, Honored Military Pilot and Major General Vladimir Popov said.

According to him, drones targeting cities in the Volga region may approach from the Caspian direction, including from the territory of third countries. Popov said a UAV can then move along the Volga at extremely low altitude, where flying over water makes it harder to detect.

He also allowed that another possible route could run through the steppe areas of Kalmykia. Over such terrain, drones can become less visible and remain outside detection zones for longer.

Earlier, Penza Region Governor Oleg Melnichenko said that on July 1, Russian Defense Ministry air defense forces shot down a drone in the region. Its debris damaged power lines and fell onto an unfinished building.

That same night, Volgograd Region also came under attack by enemy UAVs. On June 27, Volgograd was hit by missiles, killing two employees of a local enterprise.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, air defense systems destroyed 179 drones over Russian regions on the night of July 1. The UAVs were shot down across 17 federal subjects, including Kaluga, Oryol and Astrakhan regions, Stavropol Territory and the Moscow Region.