Russian air defense units intercepted a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle over the Kaluga region, according to a Telegram channel affiliated with the Russian Ministry of Defense. The report notes that at approximately 02:00 Moscow time on August 30, Kyiv launched another attempt to strike Russian facilities with an aircraft-type drone, which was subsequently destroyed by the on-duty air defense over Kaluga. The ministry’s statement emphasized that the Ukrainian drone was neutralized during its flight over Russian territory.
Earlier on the same night, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense systems were targeted by Ukrainian Armed Forces unmanned aerial vehicles in the Bryansk and Oryol regions. These claims align with a pattern of reported drone activity in western Russian border areas, where air defense assets have repeatedly engaged suspected Ukrainian drones. Reporters noted the ongoing intensity of such interceptions and the vigilance of the defense posture along Russia’s western frontier.
Around the same time, residents of Pskov reported sounds resembling explosions near the city airport. Local accounts described automatic explosions and subsequent activity in the airport vicinity. A Telegram channel linked to local security sources claimed that the attack began around 23:40 local time, and that air defense systems were actively engaged in the airport area. The account also described efforts by the Russian military to down unmanned aerial vehicles using light weapons as part of a broader counter-drone response.
Later in the evening, Mikhail Vedernikov, the governor of the Pskov region, confirmed that a drone attack targeted Pskov airport. He stated that the Russian Ministry of Defense was repelling the drone attack and that air defense measures were in operation to neutralize the threat. The incident underscores persistent concerns about drone incursions and the capabilities deployed to counter them in regional airspaces. This sequence of events fits into a broader narrative of ongoing aerial security operations across multiple Russian regions during that period, as authorities sought to safeguard critical infrastructure and civilian airfields from drone-based threats.
Across these events, the Russian defense establishment indicated ongoing efforts to suppress and defeat unmanned aerial threats, including employing air defense systems and light weapons as part of a layered response strategy. The accumulating reports from Kaluga, Bryansk, Oryol, and Pskov illustrate a coordinated attempt to disrupt drone activity near key strategic assets, a trend watched closely by observers in Canada, the United States, and allied capitals as it bears directly on regional security and civilian safety. Attribution: Reuters.