Moscow's defense ministry on June 30 claimed to have destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones overnight that targeted several regions in the southwest of Russia.
In a post on Telegram, it said 15 drones were downed over the Kursk Oblast, nine over Lipetsk Oblast, four over Voronezh Oblast, four over Bryansk Oblast, two over Oryol Oblast and another two over Belgorod Oblast.
The defense ministry did not provide details of any damage or casualties caused.
Ukrainian authorities have not commented. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Russian authorities routinely falsely claim to have thwarted Ukrainian drone and missile attacks.
Russia has been reporting drone attacks against its border regions for several months. Ukrainian drones have struck targets in Russia as far as the Tatarstan Republic, some 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) away from the Russia-Ukraine border.
The Kremlin also said it's dealing with what it sees as the threat posed by Western drones.
Moscow's defense minister ordered the Russian army to develop measures to deal with what the ministry called "provocations" from U.S. strategic drones operating over the Black Sea, saying they are increasing the risk of a "direct confrontation" between Russia and NATO.
In a statement on June 28, the Russian Defense Ministry said the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were being used to conduct reconnaissance and find targets for "high-precision weapons supplied to the Armed Forces of Ukraine by Western states."
"This indicates the increasing involvement of the U.S. and NATO countries in the conflict in Ukraine on the side of the Kyiv regime," the statement added.
NATO drones operating over the Black Sea are no secret and can be followed using publicly available flight-tracking websites.
The Black Sea has become one of the main theaters of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with Kyiv having multiple successes striking Russia's naval forces in the region.
Kateryna Denisova
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