Moscow - Saba:
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Thursday that its air defense forces downed 81 Ukrainian drones last night over several regions.
Sputnik quoted the ministry as saying in a statement: "Last night, from 9:20 PM Moscow time on June 18 to 6:40 AM Moscow time on June 19, operational air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 81 Ukrainian drones."
The statement added: "19 drones were fired over Bryansk Oblast, 17 over Kursk Oblast, 13 over Smolensk Oblast, 7 over Volgograd Oblast, 6 over Oryol Oblast, 5 over Rostov Oblast, 5 over Crimea, 3 over Belgorod and Astrakhan Oblasts, 2 over Ryazan Oblast, and 1 over Moscow Oblast."
The Ukrainian Armed Forces target Russian border areas in Crimea and the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, and Voronezh Oblasts with drones and missiles on an almost daily basis.
Russian forces, in turn, continue their special military operation aimed at demilitarizing Ukraine, eliminating threats to Russia's security through Ukraine, and protecting civilians in the Donbas region.