Ukraine Conducts Large-Scale Drone Attack on Russia

Sat Sep 13 2025 05:10:36 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a significant escalation of aerial assaults, Ukraine reportedly launched 221 drones targeting various regions in Russia, leading to heightened tensions on both sides of the ongoing conflict.

Ukraine has reportedly launched a significant drone offensive against Russian territory, with Moscow claiming to have intercepted 221 drones. The attacks are among the largest aerial assaults since May, with implications for both nations as drone warfare intensifies. While Russia claims to have prevented casualties, reports from Ukraine indicate ongoing losses from Russian strikes.

Russia claims to have downed 221 Ukrainian drones launched on its territory overnight, marking one of the largest aerial assaults since May. The drones were reportedly intercepted primarily over the Bryansk and Smolensk regions, which are located southwest of Moscow, where Lukoil facilities were allegedly targeted, according to the Russian defense ministry.

In the Leningrad region, local authorities reported that 28 drones were shot down, and a fire broke out at a vessel in the Baltic port of Primorsk, Russia's largest oil terminal; however, officials stated that the blaze was extinguished without casualties.

Tragically, two civilians were killed in Ukraine's Sumy region by a Russian glide bomb that struck a village near the border.

Interceptions were reported across at least nine other regions of Russia, including Kaluga, Novgorod, and the Moscow area, where it is claimed that nine drones were destroyed. Debris was scattered across several areas, but Russian officials maintained there were no casualties.

In Bryansk, seven individuals, including five civilians and two military personnel, sustained injuries when a drone hit a bus, as reported by the region's Governor Alexander Bogomaz.

Moscow's claims, which have not been independently verified, suggest that Thursday night's drone assault was one of the most substantial in over four months. Previously, Russia reported a record of destroying 524 drones on May 7, while Ukrainian officials noted that Russia had deployed 818 drones against their territory in the weeks leading up to this incident.

This aerial attack is characterized as one of the most significant for the Leningrad region since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three and a half years ago, even causing temporary shutdowns at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airport.

Cross-border drone raids are becoming increasingly common in the conflict, with a sustained Ukrainian drone attack in July forcing all of Moscow's airports to shut down temporarily. In recent months, Ukrainian strikes have penetrated deeper into Russian territory, targeting refineries, fuel depots, and other logistical hubs located hundreds of miles away from active frontlines.

Correspondingly, Moscow has ramped up its missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure throughout the summer, coinciding with stalled US-led peace negotiations. These latest assaults come just ahead of a planned joint military drill between Russia and its ally Belarus set to start on Friday, an event that occurs every four years and is notably taking place shortly after several Russian drones reportedly crashed or were downed over Poland, prompting concerns of airspace violations.