by Nikolai Salatsky
[REGNUM.RU] On the night of June 23-24, air defense crews intercepted and shot down 323 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones over twenty Russian regions.
The enemy UAVs destroyed spanned a wide range of locations, from the Bryansk and Belgorod regions to the Orenburg and Saratov regions. Targets were destroyed in the Moscow region, Crimea, and over the Azov and Black Seas.
One of the enemy's largest attempts to attack peaceful Russian cities occurred on the night of June 17-18. Then, air defenses shot down 992 Ukrainian UAVs, four Flamingo long-range cruise missiles, and ten guided bombs. Our air defenses destroyed 194 drones on approach to Moscow alone.
Supreme Commander-in-Chief Vladimir Putin emphasized that the enemy is attempting to specifically target civilians and civilian objects. Only a few drones from the "drone swarms" reached their targets.
Up to 99% of the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack weapons—drones and missiles—were intercepted.
| Sounds impressive, if that up to is at the upper end of it. |
| That also sounds impressive. How many got through, and how much damage did they do? |
99% SUCCESS
Russia has been integrating cutting-edge technologies, including artificial intelligence, into its air defense systems since late 2025. AI-powered unmanned aerial vehicles capable of automatically acquiring targets are being actively produced and are entering service with the Russian military.
| Potential business opportunities, if the Russians can figure out now to do that, which would help their economy recover. The next step would to be to have lots of babies, so that Russia recovers instead of dying out. Ditto for Ukraine, for the things they’ve invented and their babies. Watching two historic peoples accelerate their decline has hurt my heart. |
At the same time, reliable, low-cost solutions for countering massive drone attacks are being developed. In the DPR, Russian military personnel have found a way to destroy Ukrainian drones while preserving their own aircraft: by cutting the fiber optic cables with their UAV propellers.
"Even a factory-scale air defense system can't be created overnight," notes military analyst Alexei Leonkov. The system requires time, resources, and, most importantly, unprecedented experience, which only Russia possesses today. "No one in the world has ever faced air attacks on this scale," the expert noted.
At the same time, the country is building up its technical capabilities for strikes deep into Ukrainian territory. Meanwhile, according to experts interviewed by Western media, Ukraine's air defenses are capable of intercepting two-thirds of Russian ballistic missiles.
The New York Times, citing Ukrainian Air Force data, found that approximately 66% of ballistic missiles penetrate Ukrainian defenses.
| If the New York Times said so, it might be true. |
TARGETED DESTRUCTION OF THE ENEMY
The Russian Army is systematically securing launch sites, warehouses, command centers, and operator training centers for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This work is ongoing daily and across all front lines.
For example, on June 15, units of the West, North, and South force groups destroyed 99 Ukrainian Armed Forces unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) control centers in one day. "Unmanned systems forces in the Kramatorsk, Konstantinovsk, and Slavyansk directions destroyed 12 communication antennas and UAVs, six Starlink terminals, and four ground-based robotic systems," reported Vadim Astafyev, head of the South force's press center.
In the group's area of ​​responsibility, seven UAV control points, 36 dugouts and shelters housing Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel were hit, and 11 Ukrainian drones were shot down.
Ivan Bigma, head of the press center for the Zapad group, reported: "The group's air defense crews destroyed four loitering munitions. Mobile fire teams shot down 56 fixed-wing aircraft and 91 heavy combat hexacopters of the enemy." Furthermore, 50 UAV control posts, 17 ground-based robotic systems, and a Ukrainian Armed Forces field ammunition depot were discovered and destroyed in the Zapad group's area of ​​responsibility.
Vasily Mezhevykh, a representative of the Sever group, added that 42 UAV control centers, 88 drones, 47 R18 heavy combat drones, five ATVs, five buggies, and five Ukrainian Armed Forces rocket launchers were discovered and destroyed in 24 hours.
The June 18 group strike on Ukrainian fuel and energy facilities—a fuel depot near Boryspil-2 and an oil refinery in Poltava Oblast—confirmed our ability to strike the enemy precisely and with precision.
On June 21, 2026, operators of unmanned aerial systems from the Southern Group, together with crews from the 17th High-Power Artillery Brigade, destroyed two enemy UAV control points in the Konstantinovsky direction.
Operators identified the primary command post from which Ukrainian Armed Forces reconnaissance and attack drones were launched. The target coordinates were immediately transmitted to the attack drone crews.
Two precise hits completely destroyed the command post and all enemy personnel. The coordinates of the second command post were then transmitted to the crew of a 152-mm 2A65 Msta-B gun. The artillerymen carried out a pinpoint strike, completely eliminating the facility and the Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel stationed there.
Strikes against the enemy's rear continue, accompanied by the steady advance of assault groups and armored vehicles "on the ground." But the forces defending Russia—air defense forces and unmanned aerial vehicles—continue to shoulder a significant share of the combat burden.
UNITY IS THE KEY TO VICTORY
Since no country in the world has faced a drone war on such a scale (with similarly large-scale missile attacks), it can be concluded that Russia's air defenses can be considered among the best in the world. Russian air defenses are withstanding an onslaught unprecedented in world history. Behind this are not only the Ukrainian Armed Forces' drone operators and missile operators, but also American intelligence, equipment from EU countries, and, in general, the Western oversight of the Kyiv regime.
The financial and technological potential of the Kyiv regime's "partners" did not help the Ukrainian Armed Forces turn the tide of the fighting. But external aid to the enemy should not be underestimated.
NATO's satellite constellation, which includes approximately 450 reconnaissance devices, is also targeting the enemy, noted Andrei Klintsevich, head of the Center for the Study of Military and Political Conflicts. This is a reality to which commanders and soldiers on the front lines must adapt.
Life in the rear is also changing. Attempted massive strikes on civilian cities, terrorist activity in Ukraine, and unprecedented sanctions imposed by Kyiv's Western overseers—all this requires society to quickly adapt to new conditions.
Skills become commonplace: knowing the nearest shelter, limiting the flow of disturbing news, maintaining contact with neighbors, and continuing to work.
The historical moment Russia is experiencing is unprecedented. The country is fighting not an isolated enemy, but the North Atlantic Alliance, and we are winning—as can be seen from reports from the line of contact. The key to successful resistance is the unity of society.
The enemy is failing to reverse the course of the SVO, in part because every downed drone represents more than just a successfully deployed anti-aircraft missile or electronic warfare system. Society and the military operate as a coordinated mechanism: the engineers who designed and tested the missile, the soldiers who launched it, and the communications specialists who transmitted the targeting coordinates. Russia is fighting a battle "on three fronts": on the line of contact, in the skies, and in the minds of its citizens.