Russia’s air defense forces reported intercepting and destroying 251 Ukrainian drones launched overnight on October 6, marking one of the largest attempted strikes in recent months.

According to the Defense Ministry, the majority of the unmanned aerial vehicles were brought down over the Black Sea, where 62 were neutralized. Another 40 were intercepted over Crimea, while the skies above Kursk and Belgorod regions saw 34 and 30 drones shot down respectively.

Further interceptions were reported across a broad swath of Russian territory. Air defense units downed 20 drones over Nizhny Novgorod region, 17 over Voronezh, and 11 over Krasnodar Krai. Four more were destroyed over Rostov region. Smaller numbers were intercepted in Tula and Bryansk regions (eight each), and in Vladimir, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Tambov, and Oryol regions (two each). Single drones were downed over Lipetsk and Moscow regions. Another five were intercepted over the Sea of Azov.

Regional officials — including Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin and governors of Belgorod, Voronezh, and Tula regions — confirmed that local defense systems successfully repelled the overnight attacks. Air raid alerts were declared in several areas, among them Mordovia, Samara, Ulyanovsk, and Ivanovo regions, amid warnings of further possible strikes.

The wave of drone incursions also disrupted operations at several airports. Flights were temporarily suspended or delayed in Saratov, Sochi, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, and Kaluga.