The Ministry of Defense reported on air defense operations between 16:00 PM and 20:00 PM. Drones were shot down over the Moscow region and several other areas.

On May 18, 2026, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that between 16:00 PM and 20:00 PM, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 35 Ukrainian aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles.

The ministry clarified that the drones were shot down over several regions: Belgorod, Bryansk, Kaluga, Kursk, Oryol, Smolensk, and Tula Oblasts, the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, and the Sea of ​​Azov. The Ministry of Defense's statement did not provide the exact number of drones destroyed in the Moscow region.