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Russia has announced that it shot down 162 Ukrainian drones overnight, in what appears to be one of the largest aerial interception efforts reported since the war began. The statement from the Russian defence ministry was issued on Monday, just hours before Ukrainian and Russian officials were scheduled to meet in Turkey for a fresh round of peace talks.
According to the ministry, the drones were destroyed between 5:10pm and 11:00pm GMT on Sunday. Most of the aerial devices were downed over regions close to the Ukrainian border, with 57 intercepted in the Kursk region and 31 in Belgorod.
The timing of the incident is notable, occurring shortly before diplomatic delegations from both Kyiv and Moscow were due to begin a second round of direct negotiations in Istanbul. These talks mark a renewed attempt at dialogue after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The interception also followed Ukraine’s claim a day earlier that it had executed one of its boldest strikes within Russian territory. Ukrainian forces reportedly targeted and damaged multiple strategic bombers stationed at airbases located far from the frontlines, deep within Russian territory — an operation seen as a significant show of reach and capability by Kyiv.
