Russians Claim to Have Downed 605 Drones

Russia's Ministry of Defense announced that air defense systems on duty detected and destroyed a total of 605 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles during the night. According to their reports, the downings occurred over several Russian regions and over the waters of the Azov and Black Seas, from Wednesday evening to Thursday morning.

Despite these claims, Ukrainian sources and eyewitness footage indicate that the target of the attack was the Slavneft-YANOS oil refinery in the city of Yaroslavl, located about 250 kilometers from Moscow. Footage published by Ukrainian channels shows fires at multiple locations within the facility, contradicting Russian officials' statements that all drones were shot down.

Largest Attack on Yaroslavl and Silence of Local Authorities

Mikhail Evraev, governor of the Yaroslavl region, stated that electronic warfare and air defense forces repelled the largest attack on the region, with 92 Ukrainian drones downed. Interestingly, the governor did not mention any damage to the Slavneft-YANOS refinery, which was also noted by the Ukrainian channel Operatyvny ZSU. "Moskalians report the alleged downing of 605 UAVs during the night. The Yaroslavl refinery shot down some of the UAVs, but local authorities are silent about it," their Telegram post reads.

The Slavneft-YANOS refinery is one of Russia's five largest, with an annual processing capacity of up to 15 million tons of crude oil. As a key fuel supplier for Moscow and the surrounding region, it represents a strategically important target. According to available information, this is at least the seventh time this year that this facility has been hit in attacks.

Scale of Night Attacks on Russian Regions

In addition to Yaroslavl, Russian authorities reported downing drones in other regions as well. Voronezh region governor Alexander Gusev announced that air defense forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones. In the Rostov region, more than 20 aircraft were destroyed, according to Governor Yuri Slyusar.

Kaluga region governor Vladislav Shapsha reported that 17 drones were downed during the night, while Tula region governor Dmitry Milyaev confirmed the destruction of seven aircraft over his region. All governors released this information via social media, but none of them mentioned any damage to infrastructure on the ground.

Conflicting Reports on Actual Damage

There is a clear discrepancy between official Russian reports and what footage from the ground shows. While Russian officials claim that all drones were shot down, eyewitness footage shared by Ukrainian and international channels clearly shows fires at multiple locations within the Slavneft-YANOS refinery.

This refinery, located in Yaroslavl, is of strategic importance for fuel supply to central Russia, including the Moscow region. Targeting it is part of an ongoing Ukrainian campaign aimed at Russian energy infrastructure, with the goal of complicating logistics and reducing oil revenues that fund war operations.