MOSCOW, October 24, 2026. Russian air defence systems shot down 1,297 Ukrainian fixed wing drones, one French made SCALP air launched cruise missile and four Neptune long range cruise missiles over a 24 hour period, according to Russia’s Ministry of Defence.
The ministry announced the figures on Saturday, October 24, as fighting continued between Russian and Ukrainian forces, with Moscow also reporting significant Ukrainian military casualties and strikes against infrastructure supporting Kyiv’s military operations.
“Air defense systems have shot down a French-made SCALP air-launched cruise missile, four Neptune long-range cruise missiles, and 1,297 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles,” the ministry said in a statement carried by Russia’s state news agency TASS.
The Russian military also claimed that Ukrainian forces lost approximately 1,190 personnel over the preceding 24 hours across several areas of the conflict zone.
According to the ministry, more than 200 Ukrainian personnel were lost in the area of responsibility of the Battlegroup North, while more than 215 were reported lost in the Battlegroup West sector.
The ministry said up to 180 personnel were lost in the Battlegroup South sector, while more than 350 were reported lost in the Battlegroup Center’s area of operations.
A further 205 personnel were reportedly lost in the Battlegroup East sector, with up to 40 casualties recorded in the area of responsibility of the Battlegroup Dnepr.
The casualty figures were provided by the Russian military and could not be independently verified.
Russia reports overnight drone interceptions
In a separate statement, the Russian Ministry of Defence said its air defence systems intercepted and destroyed 616 Ukrainian fixed wing drones overnight between 8pm Moscow time on October 23 and 8am on October 24.
The ministry said the drones were destroyed over 22 Russian regions, including areas around Moscow, as well as the Republic of Crimea, the Republic of Tatarstan and the Krasnodar Region.
The reported interceptions also took place over the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.
The regions listed by the ministry were Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kirov, Kursk, Lipetsk, Oryol, Penza, Rostov, Ryazan, Samara, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Tula and Ulyanovsk, alongside the Moscow Region.
The overnight figure formed part of the ministry’s wider report on aerial threats during the period. The statement did not provide a breakdown of the locations where individual drones were intercepted or the extent of any damage resulting from the reported attacks.
Russian strikes target Ukrainian military infrastructure
The Russian Ministry of Defence also reported strikes against energy and transport infrastructure facilities that it said were being used to support Ukraine’s armed forces.
“Operational-tactical aviation, attack drones, missile forces, and artillery of the Russian armed forces struck energy and transport infrastructure facilities used by the Ukrainian military, as well as storage and launch sites for long-range unmanned aerial vehicles. Additionally, temporary deployment points for Ukrainian armed formations and foreign mercenaries were hit across 147 areas,” the ministry said in a statement.
The report did not identify all the affected facilities or provide detailed information about the damage caused.
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