Russia considers Ukraine's use of long-range ATACMS missiles, with a range of up to 300 km, a dangerous escalation in the conflict.
The Russian Defense Ministry stressed: "These actions of the Kiev regime, with the support of Western powers, will be met with a response."
CNN reported that the drones were destroyed mainly in the northwestern Leningrad region and Kursk, which Ukraine launched a surprise attack on last summer. Leningrad region governor Aleksandr Drozdenko called it “a record number of UAVs shot down in one night and morning.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he will respond to Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles with a new nuclear-powered hypersonic missile, called the Oreshnik. Last month, Putin suggested testing the weapon to challenge the air defense systems supplied to Kiev by the West.
In its first test, the Oreshnik missile struck Ukraine's Dnipro region on November 21.
While Russia shot down Ukrainian UAVs, it also deployed 81 UAVs to attack Ukraine from the evening of January 3 to the morning of January 4, including Iranian-made Shahed UAVs. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have shot down 34 UAVs, but many of the UAVs caused damage in the Chernihiv and Sumy regions.
A Ukrainian security official, Andrii Kovalenko, revealed that a seaport in Leningrad had been targeted, calling it “Russia’s economic and military survival tool in its isolation”.
Tensions are rising as Ukraine fears that the new administration of President-elect Donald Trump could cut off vital military aid. Mr Trump has repeatedly pledged to “end the Russia-Ukraine conflict”, but it is unclear what his intentions are.
Meanwhile, the Russian army announced the capture of the village of Nadiya in the Lugansk region and put heavy pressure on Pokrovsk, a strategic center in Donetsk.
