Russian Military Says Battlegroup North Downs Over 150 Ukrainian Drones Near Kharkov Since Early Autumn

Russian state news agency TASS reported that a Russian military officer said forces under the so-called Battlegroup North have shot down more than 150 Ukrainian drones near the city of Kharkov since the start of autumn.

According to TASS, the claim was made by the head of the Planning and Counter-UAV Operations Department of the 11th Army Corps. The officer said the airspace in the area is monitored continuously by aerial observation posts, allowing information about detected enemy drones to be relayed quickly to Russian interceptor drone operators.

TASS did not provide additional details on the methods used to verify the reported number of downed drones, nor did it cite independent confirmation of the figures. The report did not name the officer or specify further operational details.

The claims could not be independently verified. Ukrainian officials have not commented on the report, and TASS's account reflects statements attributed solely to the Russian military source.

The report comes amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in which both sides have made extensive use of drones for surveillance and strikes, and each side regularly issues statements about intercepting the other's unmanned aerial vehicles.