Russia downs 120 Ukrainian drones overnight, Defence Ministry says

FILE PHOTO: A service member of a drone unit of the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after King Danylo of the Ukrainian Armed Forces controls a heavy combat drone while it flies over positions of Russian troops, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Donetsk Region, Ukraine June 12, 2025. REUTERS/Serhii Korovainyi/File Photo

MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia's anti-aircraft systems downed 120 Ukrainian drones overnight, mostly in regions bordering Ukraine, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Sunday, reporting no damage.

More than three years into the war, Ukraine has increasingly been using drones to attack targets deep inside Russia.

The Defence Ministry said the drones that were intercepted overnight included 30 over the western Bryansk region, 29 in the Kursk region and 17 in Belgorod - all of which share a border with Ukraine.

Another 18 drones were downed over the Oryol region, which borders Kursk and has been hit by previous Ukrainian drone attacks targeting oil facilities.

Russia's civil aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, said it had lifted restrictions that were introduced overnight to ensure safety due to the drones at airports in St. Petersburg, Kaluga, Moscow and Nizhny Novgorod.

(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin;Editing by Helen Popper)