According to reports from the Russian Ministry of Defense, mission air defense systems intercepted and neutralized unmanned aerial vehicles operated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the western portion of the Black Sea. The ministry shared these details through its official channels, outlining the events as they unfolded in the recent security incident.
In its statement, the ministry claimed that around 20:00 Moscow time on January 5, an attempt by Kyiv to conduct a terrorist-style strike on targets inside Russian territory was thwarted. The attack was described as being carried out with five different types of unmanned aircraft, which were successfully stopped before causing damage or loss of life.
Earlier in the day, the Russian defense authorities reported casualties among servicemen on Russian soil. The ministry described the incident as an attempted attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces targeting Russian territory with the Neptune anti-ship missile system. While no further technical specifics were detailed in the briefings, the announcements indicated that defensive measures had prevented the attack from achieving its aims.
In parallel developments, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, noted an escalation in air defense activity within the region. He reported that Belgorod’s air defense units intercepted multiple aerial targets and that two individuals sustained injuries during the broader security operations. The defense briefings also mentioned that, during the night of January 5, air defense forces detected and effectively neutralized a total of 36 unmanned aerial vehicles over Crimea, with an additional vehicle intercepted over the Krasnodar region. These figures were presented to reflect the breadth of the defense system’s activity within the area of responsibility during the period in question.
Additionally, officials referenced the creation of a new drone suppression mechanism within Russia. The development was described as part of ongoing efforts to enhance defensive capabilities against unmanned systems and reduce the risk posed by airborne threats near populated and strategically sensitive regions. While the exact configuration and operational parameters of this new system were not disclosed in the briefings, the intent was to strengthen the resilience of border and border-adjacent territories by improving detection, tracking, and interdiction of drones at various altitudes and ranges.