Russia downs 258 Ukrainian drones; strikes hit military targets in five regions

Russian air defense systems intercepted and destroyed 258 Ukrainian drones targeting multiple Russian regions overnight on September 6, with retaliatory strikes hitting Ukrainian military facilities across the country. The drones were shot down over Voronezh, Kaluga, Lipetsk, Oryol, Rostov, Ryazan, Saratov, Tambov regions, Krasnodar Krai, and Crimea. The attack occurred during a three-day truce announced after Russia pledged not to strike Kyiv ahead of a visit by US envoys Steven Witkoff and Jared Kushner. Ryazan region faced the heaviest assault with over 50 drones downed, leaving one person injured, while four people including two children were hurt in Rostov-on-Don. Military expert Vasily Dandikin said drones were likely launched from Kharkiv, Sumy, or Ukrainian-controlled parts of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. In response, explosions were reported across Ukraine, targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure in Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions, with restrictions on strikes applying only to Kyiv and its surroundings due to the US envoys' visit.