Russia claims more than 750 drones intercepted in large-scale overnight attack
Kuban after a drone attack on March 8 (Photo: Telegram-канал Exilenova+)
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its air defenses shot down 754 drones launched from Ukraine over the past 24 hours, in what Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi described as the largest drone attack yet recorded against Russia and occupied Crimea.
In posts on its Telegram channel on March 8, the Russian Defense Ministry initially reported that 621 drones had been destroyed. However, in comments to Russian state-aligned media on the morning of March 9, officials said more than 750 drones had been intercepted, according to Russia’s Interfax news agency.
The most intensive drone attacks were reported in Russia’s Bryansk Oblast, where 235 drones were shot down, followed by Krasnodar Krai (61 drones), Tula Oblast (48), Belgorod Oblast (41), and occupied Crimea (78), Russian officials said.
Militarnyi noted that the figures mark a new record for the scale of drone attacks targeting Russia, potentially indicating a significant expansion in drone production for Ukraine’s Defense Forces.
Ukraine has also faced large-scale aerial attacks from Russia during the war. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the largest Russian strike took place on Sept. 7, 2025.
In that attack — which began late on Sept. 6 — Russia launched 823 aerial weapons, including 810 drones and 13 missiles. The missiles included nine Iskander-K cruise missiles and four Iskander-M / KN-23 ballistic missiles.
The strikes targeted multiple regions of Ukraine, with Kyiv identified as the primary target. During the attack, the Cabinet of Ministers building in the capital was hit for the first time since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, and several residential high-rise buildings were struck directly.
On March 9, Ukraine’s Navy also reported a successful operation in occupied Crimea. According to the military, precision strikes destroyed three Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems and eliminated one mobile Russian fire group.
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