Drones that targeted Russia’s Rostov Region and Krasnodar Region overnight on September 23–24 may have been launched from the Zaporozhye Region or from an area of neutral waters, according to retired Major General and honored military pilot Vladimir Popov.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defenses intercepted and destroyed 40 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over several regions during the night. In the Rostov Region, UAVs were downed near Taganrog and in the Kagalnitsky and Neklinovsky districts.

Falling debris damaged administrative buildings at an oil depot in the Kagalnitsky district. Governor Yuri Slyusar said there were no casualties and no fire at the site.

In the Krasnodar Region, debris from a drone fell on the territory of an enterprise in the Dinskoy district and triggered a fire. Regional authorities later reported that the blaze had been extinguished and that no one was injured.

Popov suggested that drones could be launched from the southern part of the Zaporozhye Region. He also pointed to the Black Sea and neutral waters as another possible route toward the Krasnodar Region. In his assessment, UAVs could also cross the Azov Sea from the Zaporozhye direction while flying at extremely low altitude.

The general also commented on the relatively small number of drones involved in the latest attack. He cautioned that a temporary drop in activity did not necessarily mean the strikes would stop. Popov suggested that several nights of reduced intensity could be intended to lower vigilance, or that drones might be accumulated for another larger attack.

He also raised another possible explanation for the decline in activity, linking it to the consequences of a recent Russian strike on a checkpoint near the Polish border. Popov said disruptions to supplies could have created a temporary shortage of drones.

He further suggested that Ukrainian forces could be experiencing shortages of certain components, including control systems and propeller-motor units, and may now be waiting for new deliveries.