The Russian Defense Ministry said Wednesday that its forces downed 296 Ukrainian drones over multiple Russian regions overnight, a barrage that Ukrainian media described as a “record-breaking” attack on Russian territory.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, Ukrainian drones were downed over Moscow and the regions of Bryansk, Belgorod, Vladimir, Voronezh, Ivanovo, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Ryazan, Smolensk, Tver, and Tula.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said there was no serious damage or casualties in the city, and there were no other reports of casualties in the other regions. According to SouthFront, Ukrainian drones struck a drone manufacturing plant in the town of Dubna in the Moscow Oblast, as well as the ELMA Technopark in Zelenograd, an electronics development hub located northwest of Moscow.
Ukraine has stepped up its drone attacks in recent weeks, and a Russian commander said that President Vladimir Putin’s helicopter was caught in a swarm of Ukrainian drones while he was visiting Russia’s Kursk Oblast on May 20. From May 20 to May 23, Russia said it intercepted 764 Ukrainian drones over its territory.
Russian officials cited the Ukrainian drone attacks as the justification for launching massive drone and missile strikes on Ukraine over the weekend. According to Ukrainian officials, from Saturday to Monday, Russia launched nearly 1,000 missiles and drones into Ukraine, killing 13 civilians, including three children.
President Trump strongly criticized the heavy Russian attacks, saying that Putin had “gone crazy” and was firing missiles and drones into Ukrainian cities for “no reason whatsoever.”
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Trump wasn’t getting enough information about the war. “One thing is clear – Donald Trump and those who actually make decisions regarding the Ukraine conflict in particular, are not being told everything,” he said. “The information he is given is filtered through a sieve, which is prepared by those who want to draw America into more aggressive action against Russia.”
