Russia’s Defense Ministry said early Monday that its anti-air systems had shot down 31 Ukrainian drones over several Russian regions and annexed Crimea.
“During the night, new attempts by the Kyiv regime to carry out terrorist attacks with the help of aerial drones… against targets on the territory of the Russian Federation were foiled,” the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Twelve drones were shot down over the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine and where a Ukrainian strike killed 15 people on Sunday, it said.
Eight drones were destroyed over the Kursk region, which also borders Ukraine, while four were intercepted over the neighboring Lipetsk region, the Defense Ministry added.
Meanwhile, in annexed Crimea, air defense systems were said to have destroyed seven drones and four U.K.-supplied Storm Shadow missiles.
Russia has seen a gradual uptick in Ukrainian drone attacks on its territory over the past year as the war in Ukraine shows little sign of ending.
In recent months, Kyiv has targeted Russian oil refineries in an attempt to sap into Moscow’s gasoline and diesel production.
