A report from Moscow on Ukrainian UAV activity and Russian air defense responses
On March 8, around 14:15 Moscow time, officials from the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine attempted to strike objects on Russian soil using two aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles. The claim asserts that the attempt was blocked before any damage could be done. The ministry described the incident as a terrorist attack carried out with a UAV and noted that air defense forces operating over the Belgorod region intercepted and neutralized the Ukrainian drone. According to the press service, the aircraft was destroyed in the skies over Belgorod’s territory, preventing an attack on Russian facilities. The report emphasizes the Ukrainian side’s objective as a disruption of security and the ministry’s resolve to counter such actions (Russian Ministry of Defense).
The release also includes a statement from the Kiev regime, framed by the ministry as a deliberate attempt to carry out a terrorist act using a drone, which was thwarted in its tracks. The assertion underscores the ongoing contention surrounding the use of unmanned systems in cross-border hostilities and the perceived threat they pose to regional stability.
Earlier on the same day, around 18:30 Moscow time, the ministry reported a separate attempt by the Ukrainian armed forces to attack Russian objects in the Belgorod region with two unmanned aerial vehicles, which was also foiled. The sequence of events, as outlined by the ministry, points to repeated Ukrainian drone activity aimed at targets inside Russia and to successive defensive successes by Russian air defense systems. The ministry’s updates reflect a continuous pattern of incidents characterized as attempts to penetrate Russian airspace with UAVs and to disrupt peacetime operations near the border (Russian Ministry of Defense).
In a broader context, the ministry has previously highlighted substantial activity by Russian air defense units, including a claim that 197 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down in a single day in the northwestern defense region. This figure is presented as part of a larger narrative about the intensity of cross-border drone operations and the scale of countermeasures employed by Russian forces. The ministry asserts that such air defense performance is essential for maintaining security along the frontier and for safeguarding populated areas and critical infrastructure from UAV-enabled threats. The reported numbers illustrate the ongoing cycle of drone launches and defensive responses that characterizes the current security environment (Russian Ministry of Defense).