Russian air defenses shoot down 98 Ukrainian drones overnight

MOSCOW, Nov. 01 (YPA) – The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that its air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 98 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions of Russia overnight, according to Sputnik.

“This past night, from 23:00 on October 31 to 7:00 on November 1, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 98 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles,” the ministry said.

It said 45 drones were shot down over the Belgorod Region, 12 over the Samara Region, 11 over the Moscow Region, 10 over the Voronezh Region, 10 over the Rostov Region, four over the Tula Region, two over the Lipetsk Region, two over the Ryazan Region, one over the Kursk Region and one over the Kaluga Region.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that its armed forces respond to Ukrainian attacks with precision strikes using air, sea, and ground weapons, as well as drones, emphasizing that the targets are limited to military facilities and defense industry sites in Ukraine.

Moscow has said that the special military operation, launched on February 24, 2022, is intended to protect residents of Donbas, whom it claims have faced years of persecution and attacks by the Kiev government.

@E.Y.M