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Russia says air defenses shot down 98 Ukrainian drones

Iran Press TV

Saturday, 01 November 2025 11:16 AM

Russia says its air defense systems have successfully shot down 98 Ukrainian drones in multiple cities overnight.

Air defense systems destroyed or intercepted 98 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over Russian regions, the Defense Ministry reported on Saturday.

"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 a total of 45 UAVs were shot down over the Belgorod Region, 12 over the Samara Region, 11 over the Moscow Region, including six targeting Moscow, 10 each over the Voronezh and Rostov regions, four over the Tula Region, two each over the Lipetsk and Ryazan Regions, and one each over the Kursk and Kaluga Regions.

The ministry added that temporary restrictions were imposed on the arrival and departure of aircraft at airports in Tambov, Kaluga, Penza, Samara, and Saratov.

Also, fragments of a downed drone shot over Tula region were discovered near a roadway, prompting officials to introduce temporary traffic restrictions on part of Kutuzov Street.

Regional Governor Dmitry Milyaev said on Telegram that there were no casualties reported and no damage to infrastructure was recorded.

The Ukrainian forces' repeated drone attacks into Russia's territory with the aim of targeting energy facilities and civilian infrastructure have been condemned by Russian officials.

Russian officials describe the Ukrainian UAV attacks as acts of terrorism, serving no military purpose other than to intimidate the civilian population.

Moscow ordered the special military operation against Ukraine in 2022 to demilitarize the pro-Russia territories adjacent to the country.

The Donbas region is largely populated by ethnic Russians who have declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize Kiev's Western-backed government.

Meantime, the Kiev government has received support from the US-led Western countries in the form of military aid, including arms and ammunition, as well as anti-Moscow sanctions and mounting political pressure.

However, US President Donald Trump has reportedly been withholding Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's request for American Tomahawk missiles to be used to strike targets deep inside Russian territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that if Russia were attacked with Tomahawk missiles, the response would be "very strong, if not overwhelming."