Russia reports 641 Ukrainian drones intercepted as strikes hit multiple regions overnight
Photo: Russia comes under another Ukrainian attack (mchs_official)
Russia was rocked by loud explosions in various areas overnight amid another massive attack by Ukraine’s Defense Forces. Occupied Crimea also came under fire, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that its air defense forces attempted to repel a large-scale Ukrainian attack overnight.
Russia’s Defense Ministry traditionally does not disclose exactly how many drones Ukraine used in the aerial assault. However, its statement indicates that hundreds of drones were involved.
It claimed that Russian air defenses allegedly intercepted and destroyed 641 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones.
The drones were reportedly detected over:
- Astrakhan region;
- Belgorod region;
- Bryansk region;
- Vladimir region;
- Voronezh region;
- Kaluga region;
- Kostroma region;
- Kursk region;
- Lipetsk region;
- Nizhny Novgorod region;
- Oryol region;
- Rostov region;
- Ryazan region;
- Smolensk region;
- Tambov region;
- Tver region;
- Tula region;
- Yaroslavl region;
- Krasnodar Krai;
- Moscow region;
- occupied Crimea;
- as well as the waters of the Sea of Azov, Caspian Sea and Black Sea.
According to eyewitnesses, loud explosions were heard in Russia’s Rostov, while a large fire also broke out.
According to the latest information, a military airfield was likely targeted by Ukrainian forces this time. A secondary detonation was also later reported at the site.
Information about the incident was also shared online.
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) September 17, 2026
The reports also indicate that another target of Ukraine’s Defense Forces overnight may have been the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in Yaroslavl, Russia.
The facility is reportedly the largest refinery in northern Russia and one of the country’s leaders in terms of primary oil refining capacity. Its annual refining capacity is approximately 15 million metric tons of crude oil.
Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported on the latest developments on the battlefield and what the Russian army is planning in the Sumy region.
We also reported how many targets Ukrainian air defense forces managed to neutralize during Russia’s massive attack on September 17.
