"Over the past night, alert air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 249 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the statement says.
The drones were shot down over the Belgorod, Bryansk, Vladimir, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Pskov, Smolensk, Tver, Tula regions, the Moscow Region, and the Sea of Azov.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously noted that Ukrainian forces are sending hundreds of drones to strike Russian territory. He emphasized that the Kiev regime is deliberately targeting civilians in the regions, attacking civilian infrastructure and transport, including ambulances and agricultural machinery. The head of state described the methods used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Kiev's foreign mercenaries as terrorist.