Major Drone Assault: Ukraine Launches 221 Drones on Russia

Sat Sep 13 2025 09:21:03 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In an unprecedented aerial assault, Ukraine launched 221 drones at Russian territory, marking one of the largest attacks since May. Russia claims to have intercepted most of the drones, but casualties from the fallout remain a concern.

Ukraine executed a large-scale drone strike, deploying 221 drones against Russia, according to Russian defense officials. Notably, the majority of the drones were intercepted in southwestern areas near Moscow, prompting a response from Russian forces. Casualties were reported on both sides, including injuries and fatalities from drone debris and bombings. This attack is seen as one of the most significant since earlier in the conflict and highlights the ongoing escalation in aerial warfare between the two nations.

Russia says it downed 221 Ukrainian drones launched on its territory overnight, in one of the largest aerial assaults since May.

More than half of the drones were intercepted over the Bryansk and Smolensk regions, south-west of Moscow, where Lukoil facilities were reportedly targeted, the defence ministry stated.

Authorities in the Leningrad region confirmed that 28 drones were brought down and reported a fire that broke out on a vessel in the Baltic port of Primorsk, Russia's largest oil terminal. They noted that the blaze was extinguished without casualties or leaks.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials reported that two civilians were killed in the Sumy region when a Russian glide bomb struck a village near the border.

Interceptions were also noted across at least nine other Russian regions, including Kaluga and Novgorod, where drone debris was found, although authorities insisted there were no casualties. In Bryansk, a drone attack injured seven, including five civilians.

Moscow’s figures, which are yet to be independently verified, suggest that this attack was one of the largest aerial bombardments launched by Ukraine in over four months.

In a prior incident, Russia reported the destruction of a record 524 drones in early May. Comparatively, Ukrainian officials noted that Russia had deployed 818 drones against their territory in recent weeks.

The aerial assault has been described as significant for the Leningrad region since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The attack temporarily halted operations at St Petersburg’s Pulkovo airport.

Cross-border drone raids have become increasingly frequent as both nations escalate their military strategies. In July, a sustained Ukrainian drone attack led to the closure of all airports in Moscow.

Ukrainian strikes have recently targeted deeper into Russian territory, affecting refineries and logistics hubs far from the frontlines. Meanwhile, Russia intensified its missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure as efforts for peace stalled.

This surge in attacks coincides with the start of a major joint military exercise between Russia and Belarus, occurring amid heightened tensions following incidents of drones being shot down in or falling into Poland's airspace.