New Delhi, Aug. 1 -- MOSCOW - In a single month, Russia's air defenses intercepted more than 21,000 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory.

That figure comes from Russian Defense Ministry data reviewed by RIA Novosti, and it marks July as the most intensive month of drone warfare the conflict has produced. In the first six months of 2026, Russian air defenses downed at least 63,993 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles over Russian soil. July alone added roughly a third of that first-half total in 31 days.

The pace did not arrive evenly. The peak came on July 24 and July 25, when air defenses intercepted 937 and 1,060 drones respectively, a combined two-day total of nearly 2,000 launches in 48 hours. The Russian Defense Ministry reported ...