Ukrainian soldier launches a drone Photo: dpa

The Russian Ministry of Defence reported the destruction of 68 drones on the night of 31 December. According to the Russian side, the drone attacks were aimed at the territory of Russia and the temporarily occupied Crimea.

Distribution of downed UAVs

The Russian ministry’s press service announced the following locations for the downing:

• Bryansk region – 25 drones;
• Crimea – 17 drones;
• Krasnodar Region – 11 drones;
• Smolensk Region – 10 drones;
• Tver Region – 2 drones;
• Rostov, Kursk, and Kaluga regions have one drone each.

In recent months, Ukraine has stepped up the use of drones to target Russian military facilities and occupied territories. However, the data provided by the Russian side is often questionable due to a lack of confirmation and a tendency to exaggerate.

At the moment, there is no official information on possible damage or casualties from drone strikes. Russian sources have traditionally focused on the success of their air defence, while not providing concrete evidence of the claimed losses on the Ukrainian side.

The situation continues to evolve.