The Russian armed forces on Wednesday said that dozens of Ukrainian drones were repelled during the night in regions close to the border.

A British analysis suggested Moscow’s forces also shot down one of their combat jets last month.

The Defence Ministry in Moscow said air defence forces intercepted 31 unmanned aerial vehicles over the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions.

Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov, however, spoke of the damage to an administrative building.

Russia had launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than 19 months ago.

Meanwhile, attacks on Russian territory have increased recently, although Moscow often downplays their impact.

However, the extent of the damage and the number of victims bear no relation to the consequences of the war in embattled Ukraine.

British analysts said Russian air defences had accidentally shot down a Russian fighter jet near the occupied town of Tokmak in southern Ukraine.

“On September 28, Russian air defence forces highly shot down one of their own Su-35S FLANKER M multi-role combat jets over Tokmak, approximately 20km behind the current front line,” the British Ministry of Defence said in its daily update.

It said that although Russia had lost around 90 fixed-wing aircraft since the start of the invasion, this is probably only the fifth loss of a Su-35S.

The analysis said Russia’s most advanced combat jet is in widespread service.

“The location is relevant because Tokmak is a heavily fortified town which often hosts Russian headquarters commanding one of the most intensely contested sectors of the front line,” said the analysis shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

(dpa/NAN)