On the morning of September 12, 2026, the Russian Ministry of Defense officially acknowledged a new massive attack by Ukrainian Armed Forces unmanned aerial vehicles on the country's territory. The defense ministry specified the timeframe of the aerial raid: the defense against the attack was carried out between 20:00 on September 11 and 08:00 on September 12. According to the Russian ministry, air defense systems allegedly intercepted and destroyed 230 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones. Kyiv, meanwhile, does not disclose the exact number of aircraft used in this operation, making independent verification of the claimed figures difficult.
Scale of the night raid
According to information cited by the Ukrainian edition of RBC, 12 Russian regions were targeted in this attack. The Russian MoD, for its part, listed the territories over which, according to its data, interceptions were carried out, and additionally claimed the destruction of drones over the waters of the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. Thus, according to official Moscow statements, the air defense engagement zone covered both land regions and coastal maritime areas, indicating a broad front of air defense deployed during the night of September 12.
Strikes on facilities: Tolyatti and Taganrog
On the morning of September 12, it became known that a chemical plant in Tolyatti was struck by Ukrainian forces this time — according to the latest data, this refers to the "KuybyshevAzot" enterprise. In Taganrog, according to OSINT sources, several fires broke out overnight, including a reported tank fire on the grounds of the local automobile plant. In addition, according to available information, drones likely struck the "Taganrog-Central" military airfield overnight, which is home to the 708th Military Transport Aviation Regiment, with the 325th Aviation Repair Plant located nearby.
Contradictory data
Discrepancies in figures and timeframes are noted between various statements and reports. Thus, the Russian MoD, in the context of the September 11–12 raid, cites 230 shot-down fixed-wing drones, whereas other official reports give different figures for other dates: data disseminated in connection with September 11 mentions 67 shot-down drones, while the report for the night of August 23 cites 328 destroyed aircraft. These figures relate to different accounting periods and likely reflect different counting methodologies; however, it is important for the reader that no single consistent figure for the specific September 12 raid has been recorded in open sources. It is also worth noting that the full list of regions over which, according to Moscow, interceptions were carried out is presented incompletely in the initial reports, and some details on Taganrog rely on OSINT observer data rather than official confirmation.
Context and the situation at the front
The new massive drone attack comes against the backdrop of ongoing developments at the front and the latest offensive operations by the Russian army, the outcomes of which are also being tracked as data becomes available. The Ukrainian edition of RBC previously published details of the September 12 night attack, and the dynamics of aerial raids and air defense operations remain one of the key indicators of the course of the conflict. As information on the consequences of the strikes on Tolyatti and Taganrog, as well as on losses on both sides, is clarified, the picture of events will be supplemented.
