- Russia says it downed 281 Ukrainian drones and two guided bombs in 24 hours.
- Moscow’s broader tally includes more than 92,000 drones and 25,000 armored vehicles since 2022.
- Ukraine reports 62 drones and nine missiles launched overnight; 50 drones and four missiles shot down.
The Big Picture
Russian air defenses claimed to have shot down 281 Ukrainian drones and two guided bombs in the past 24 hours, the Defense Ministry said Friday, according to TASS.
The ministry’s daily update said its forces intercepted “two guided aerial bombs and 281 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles,” according to TASS.
Since the start of the invasion, Russia has said that its military has destroyed 668 Ukrainian warplanes, 283 helicopters, 92,459 drones, 633 surface-to-air missile systems, 25,664 tanks and armored vehicles, 1,607 multiple rocket launchers, 30,783 field artillery guns and mortars, and 44,815 military vehicles. The ministry reported this through TASS.
The ministry also said Russian air defenses shot down 1,441 Ukrainian drones over the past week, along with 18 guided aerial bombs, 15 HIMARS rockets, and a Ukrainian Su-27 fighter jet, according to TASS.
In a separate overnight assault, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russian forces launched 62 drones and nine missiles. During the attacks, the Ukrainian Air Force said its air defenses destroyed 50 drones and four missiles.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital was targeted by ballistic missiles.
What’s New
The daily Russian claim of 281 drones downed and the Ukrainian account of large-scale overnight launches and interceptions highlight ongoing high-tempo air operations on both sides.
What They’re Saying
Context
The claims arrive amid sustained strikes and countermeasures as the war’s aerial dimension continues to expand, with frequent use of drones, guided munitions, and air defenses around major cities and infrastructure.
What’s Next
Further official updates from Moscow and Kyiv are expected as both sides assess damage and publish daily tallies of interceptions and launches.
The Bottom Line
Competing daily figures underscore the intensity of the air war; independent verification remains limited while both sides publish running totals and battle updates.
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