In the evening of January 21, Russia’s air defense forces destroyed seven unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the Armed Forces of Ukraine over the skies of Crimea, the Defense Ministry said. The drones were eliminated between 19:20 and 20:15 Moscow time, a narrow window that illustrates how quickly Russian air defenses can respond to aerial threats in disputed airspace.
Early on the morning of January 21, the ministry announced that overnight drone activity had been observed across several parts of the country. A total of 55 Ukrainian UAVs were downed. The Bryansk region reported the highest number of hits with 22 drones, followed by Rostov with 12 and Smolensk with 10. The Voronezh region saw 6 drones neutralized, Saratov had 4, and Kursk accounted for 1 drone.
Drone attacks on Russian regions began in 2022 against the backdrop of a broader military operation in Ukraine. Kyiv has not officially confirmed involvement in these strikes, but in August 2023 Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the president’s office, said that the number of UAV attacks against Russia would increase, signaling a heightened sense of urgency in Kyiv about drone warfare.
A former head of the FSB stated that Ukraine targets drones, highlighting ongoing concerns about how unmanned systems are used in the conflict and the security implications for Russia and neighboring regions.