Moscow, 28 December 2024 (dpa/MIA) - Russian air defences have thwarted a wave of attacks involving dozens of Ukrainian drones, authorities in Moscow said early on Saturday.

A total of 56 unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed during the attacks, with 28 drones downed in the Voronezh region, 11 in Belgorod, and 17 in Rostov, the Russian Defence Ministry said, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.

In Belgorod, two villagers were injured by shrapnel from a drone explosion, local officials said. The claims cannot not be independently verified.

Ukraine has increasingly targeted Russian territory with drone strikes as part of its ongoing defence against the Russian invasion, now nearing its third year.

While these attacks on Russian soil intensify, Ukraine continues to endure far greater destruction and civilian casualties.