Russia announces downing 75 Ukrainian drones, conducts naval exercises in the Mediterranean

Russia announced that it had shot down 75 drones launched by Kiev towards its territory during the night of Sunday-Monday, 47 of which were in the airspace of the southern Rostov region bordering Ukraine, coinciding with naval exercises in the Mediterranean Sea that it described as "routine combat maneuvers."

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a detailed statement that "air defenses intercepted and destroyed 47 drones over the Rostov region," in addition to 17 over the Sea of ​​Azov and the Black Sea, and eight in the skies of the Krasnodar region. The defenses also intercepted a drone in the skies of the Belgorod, Voronezh and Smolensk regions, according to the statement.

Meanwhile, Russia's state-run TASS news agency reported on Sunday, citing the Defense Ministry, that Russian warships conducted exercises in the Mediterranean to guard and defend a group of ships, in what it described as routine combat maneuvers. During the maneuvers, two small anti-submarine ships practiced organizing the combat use of weapons and wireless electronic warfare equipment in a simultaneous attack scenario from the air and the sea.

"The day before, the small anti-submarine ships Onega and Naryan-Mar carried out training and combat missions to repel an air attack from a simulated enemy," the Defense Ministry said, adding that the warships fired anti-aircraft missile systems and naval guns, simulating the shelling of air targets during air defense drills.