Ukraine claimed to have sent over 100 drones deep inside Russia to hit a major weapons depot in the Volgograd region, hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border. The drone strike reportedly targeted a site where a shipment of Iranian weapons had recently arrived, causing a fire and ammunition detonation. The depot was being used for storage and modernization of missiles and artillery. Russia reported destroying 67 drones overnight over the same region in response to the attack. According to a Ukrainian defense sector source, 120 drones flew over 600 kilometers to target the depot, resulting in damage to ammunition and missile storage sites.
Western governments have accused Iran of supplying drones and missiles to Moscow for its war on Ukraine, an allegation that Iran has denied multiple times. The attack in the Volgograd region resulted in several explosions, but no casualties or significant damage were reported. Falling debris from the drones started grass fires in the area, causing some locals to flee their homes. This was not the first time the area had been targeted by such drone attacks. Russia’s defense ministry reported that its air defenses had destroyed and intercepted a total of 125 Ukrainian drones over its territory overnight.
The drone attack by Ukraine on Russia was described as the largest since President Vladimir Putin announced changes to the country’s nuclear doctrine to allow a nuclear response to a substantial cross-border drone attack. Regional governors in Russia reported some damage but no casualties from the attack. Several drones reportedly fell in the Voronezh region, causing fires in two residential buildings. Additionally, 18 drones were destroyed in the Rostov region, sparking a forest fire. Unmanned aerial vehicles were also intercepted over other regions in Russia, including the Bryansk and Kursk regions, the Krasnodar region close to Crimea, and over the Sea of Azov.
Moscow recently announced that it has been shooting down Ukrainian drones almost daily in response to what Kyiv claims are retaliatory strikes for the offensive launched by Russia in February 2022. The increased drone activity on both sides highlights the ongoing conflict between the two countries and the escalation of attacks beyond their respective borders. The use of drones in warfare has become more prevalent in recent years, with both Ukraine and Russia employing them in different capacities in the conflict. It remains to be seen how the situation will continue to evolve and whether the use of drones will play an increasingly significant role in the conflict between the two countries.
