Drone strikes escalate as Russia and Ukraine intensify attacks

Russia reported that its forces intercepted 221 Ukrainian drones on the night of September 11, one of the largest recorded attacks since the war began more than three years ago, according to Arab News via AFP.

The defence ministry said most were destroyed over Bryansk and Smolensk, while 28 were downed in the Leningrad region near the city of St Petersburg.

Authorities confirmed that a vessel caught fire in the Port of Primorsk, an important Baltic shipping hub. According to the regional governor, this marked the first reported drone strike on one of Russia’s major oil and fuel export terminals.

Since early August, Ukraine has stepped up operations against Russian energy infrastructure, targeting refineries and pipelines as negotiations toward a peace settlement remain at a standstill.

The timing of the strikes is significant. They followed Poland’s accusation that Russian drones had entered its airspace, which Moscow denied. Authorities reported 19 violations, prompting fighter jets and Patriot systems to be deployed, and up to four drones were shot down with NATO support. While Russia and Belarus claimed the drones strayed off course, Polish officials said the scale of the incursions made an accident unlikely.

In response, the United Kingdom announced a new set of sanctions targeting ships transporting Russian oil, as well as companies and individuals connected to supplying components for weapons production. The government in London said the measures were prompted by a surge in Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukraine and the recent violation of NATO airspace over Poland.

Additionally, France and Germany pledged to reinforce Poland’s air defences, and the UN Security Council convened an emergency session to address the dispute.

Drone warfare has become a defining feature of this conflict, offering Ukraine a way to test Russian defences and project pressure deep into Russian territory. At the same time, Moscow continues to rely on drone barrages against Ukrainian targets, making unmanned aircraft central to the evolving dynamics of the war.