Russia's air defense forces destroyed 40 Ukrainian drones over Russian regions overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said.
17 of them were shot down over the territory of the Volgograd region, 12 over the territory of the Kaluga region, 9 over the territory of the Rostov region and 2 over the territory of the Saratov region.
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that it had destroyed a Russian drone base in the Kursk region, used for assembling and launching the drones, the General Staff in Kiev reported, quoted by DPA, Ukrinform and BTA.
Drones from the base in The vicinity of the village of Elizavetovka has been used repeatedly for attacks on Ukrainian troops, partially controlling the Kursk region, the Headquarters said.
The high-precision attack launched on Thursday is part of the "systematic measures" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to weaken Russia's military potential, the Ukrainian command added.
Kiev's forces are increasingly attacking military and logistical targets on Russian territory in order to disrupt the supply of fuel, weapons and ammunition to Moscow's troops at the front.
The Ukrainian General Staff also published a video that it claims is from the strike. The recording shows several explosions in a snowy forest, followed by thick clouds of smoke rising. The authenticity of the footage cannot be confirmed by an independent source.
Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reported that in August 2024 The Ukrainian military may have shot down its own F-16 fighter jet because it was not connected to the Link 16 tactical communication system used by NATO countries.
According to the publication's sources, the American fighter jet transferred to the Ukrainian armed forces was not equipped with the equipment necessary to communicate with the Link 16 system, which serves as a "friend or foe" system for ground-based air defense.
This tactical communication system displays all ground-based air defense systems, command posts and aircraft in real time.
The Pentagon refused to disclose to the publication information about whether the American fighter jet shot down in Ukraine was connected to Link 16.
At the end of August 2024, the General Staff of Ukraine reported the loss of the F-16, without providing details of the incident. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, the fighter jet crashed.