Russia Reports Record Ukrainian Drone Interceptions in May as Both Sides Intensify Aerial Attacks

The Russian Defense Ministry reported shooting down 9,418 Ukrainian drones in May 2026, the highest monthly total it has ever published. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that at least 329 of those drones were intercepted while heading toward the capital, an average of more than 12 per day.

That figure marked the second-highest monthly total recorded for Moscow during the war, following a record 398 interceptions in March.

Ukraine's air force reported facing 8,361 Russian munitions in May, including 8,150 drones and 211 missiles. It said 90 percent of the drones and 55 percent of the missiles were intercepted or failed to reach their targets. Ukrainian forces have targeted Russian air defenses since the start of 2026.

The Unmanned Systems Forces claimed the destruction of at least 23 Russian air defense systems and damage to 109 others through the end of May. In April, Ihor Fedirko said Ukrainian forces had destroyed 48 percent of Russian Pantsir medium-range surface-to-air missile systems and about 25 percent of long-range S-300 and S-400 systems.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said strikes since January 2026 had hit at least 15 Russian oil refineries.

He stated that nearly 40 percent of Russia's primary oil refining capacity was offline as of May. Russian President Vladimir Putin sought a temporary ceasefire in May to coincide with Victory Day celebrations in Moscow's Red Square. Zelenskyy responded with a May 9 decree that permitted a parade in Moscow but excluded the territorial sector of Red Square from the operational use plan of Ukrainian weaponry.

The image circulated widely among Ukrainian social media users. Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram in May that Ukraine's responses to Russia's prolongation of the war and strikes on Ukrainian cities are completely fair. He added that the Moscow region has Russia's densest concentration of air defenses but that Ukrainian drones are getting through.

A photograph taken May 4 showed damage to the facade of a high-rise building in Moscow after a drone attack. Another image posted May 17 by Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov showed a burning building in the Moscow region following an air attack. On an unspecified Wednesday in 2026, Ukrainian drones struck St.

Petersburg as the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum was scheduled to open. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. The Russian Defense Ministry publishes only the number of Ukrainian drones and projectiles it claims to have intercepted.

Moscow Mayor Sobyanin issues real-time statements when drones are reported shot down heading toward the capital. Russian officials rarely acknowledge successful Ukrainian strikes and more often attribute casualties and damage to falling debris. Russian leaders routinely describe the strikes as terrorism.

ABC News cannot independently verify the data released by either Russia or Ukraine.