On the night of March 20, 2025, Russian air defense forces repelled a large-scale attack by unmanned aerial vehicles, destroying 132 drones over the country's territory. This was reported by the Russian Defense Ministry, specifying that the raid affected several regions, including the Saratov, Voronezh and Belgorod regions, where the largest number of intercepted devices was recorded. In the Saratov region, 54 drones were neutralized, in the Voronezh region - 40, and in the Belgorod region - 22. The scale of the attack forced the authorities to temporarily restrict the operation of airports in Samara and Saratov, where the reception and release of aircraft were suspended to ensure the safety of civil aviation.

According to the department, the drone attack targeted targets in various parts of the country. In the Saratov region, where the Engels-2 airbase with strategic bombers stationed there is located, residents of the city of Engels reported the sounds of explosions. The region's governor, Roman Busargin, confirmed that a woman was injured as a result of falling debris and received medical assistance, and damage was also recorded to the building of a local hospital and a private home. In the Voronezh region, according to governor Alexander Gusev, there were no casualties, although the region was one of the main targets of the attack. In the Belgorod region, which is regularly subject to shelling due to its proximity to the border, air defense was also working in an enhanced mode.

The introduction of temporary restrictions at the airports of Samara and Saratov was a forced measure against the backdrop of the threat of air attacks. Representatives of the Federal Air Transport Agency reported that such decisions are being made to minimize risks for passengers and personnel. Flights were suspended at night, and by the morning the situation began to stabilize, but the exact dates for the resumption of work at the airports have not yet been announced.

The scale of the night operation indicates an increase in the activity of drone attacks on Russian territory. In addition to the three most affected regions, drones were shot down over the Rostov region (9 units), Kursk region (3), Crimea (3) and Lipetsk region (1). The total number of destroyed devices - 132 - makes this incident one of the largest in recent months. Experts associate such intensity with attempts to strike military and industrial infrastructure located near combat zones or strategically important objects.

Current data from open sources confirms that drone attacks on Russian regions have become more frequent. Thus, in early March 2025, Moscow and the Moscow region experienced an attack by more than 90 drones, and on March 14, the Saratov region was already subjected to strikes, although on a smaller scale. In the Voronezh region, 17 drones were destroyed in January, and several devices in February, which indicates a systematic nature of the threat. In turn, the Belgorod region remains one of the most vulnerable zones: in August 2024, strikes on residential buildings and infrastructure were recorded here, and in December, the Kazan airport was temporarily closed due to similar attacks.

Particular attention is drawn to the Saratov region, where the Engels-2 airbase is located. According to Ukrainian media, a warehouse on the territory of a military airfield could have been the target of the strike that night. Russian authorities have not confirmed this information, but the very fact of a massive raid on the region underlines its strategic importance.