---
title: "Russian air defence units destroy 36 Ukrainian drones overnight, defence ministry says"
description: "Russian air defence forces destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones over seven Russian regions overnight on Monday, the defence ministry said."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-11-17-russian-air-defence-units-destroy-36-ukrainian-drones-overnight-defence-ministry-says/"
published: "2025-11-17T12:49:52"
updated: "2025-11-17T12:49:54"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 85
---

# Russian air defence units destroy 36 Ukrainian drones overnight, defence ministry says

> Russian air defence forces destroyed 36 Ukrainian drones over seven Russian regions overnight on Monday, the defence ministry said.

By Reuters · Published 17 November 2025, 14:49 SAST · Updated 17 November 2025, 14:49 SAST

## Key points
- In a dramatic game of drone tag, Donetsk's Denis Pushilin reported that Ukraine's aerial antics left half a million in the dark, while Ulyanovsk's governor boasted of a thwarted drone assault that kept the lights on—proof that in this high-stakes showdown, some are still managing to keep the power on.
- Denis Pushilin reports that Ukrainian drone strikes have left 500,000 people in Donetsk without power.
- Restoration efforts are underway, according to Pushilin's Telegram update.
- Ulyanovsk governor claims a Ukrainian drone attack on a substation was successfully repelled.
- No casualties or power disruptions reported in the Ulyanovsk region, as per Alexei Russkikh.

## Content

Denis Pushilin, the top Russian-backed official in Donetsk, said an attack by Ukrainian strike drones on energy infrastructure had left roughly 500,000 people without power across several districts. Work was continuing to restore the electricity supply, Pushilin wrote on Telegram.

The governor of the Ulyanovsk region east of Moscow said an attack by a Ukrainian drone on a substation there had been repelled. There were no casualties and the power supply was unaffected, Alexei Russkikh wrote on Telegram.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Guy Faulconbridge)