The Russian defence ministry announced a historic triumph on Tuesday. Air defence units successfully shot down 1,478 Ukrainian drones overnight. This is a remarkable military achievement. It is especially impressive given that Kyiv only launched about four hundred.
One is reminded, inevitably, of Soviet tractor production figures in the 1930s. The numbers exist entirely independent of physical reality. Officials confirmed the remaining thousand intercepts were preemptive. They have destroyed drones still on the drawing board. Some interceptions apparently involved shooting down the general concept of aerodynamics.
A warehouse near Moscow did catch fire during the barrage. The ministry was quick to clarify this was a planned tactical combustion. "We intercepted a drone using a distribution centre," a military spokesperson said. "The building performed perfectly by leaping into the drone's flight path."
The air war continues to escalate. Moscow is expected to announce the destruction of three million drones by Thursday. At that point, troops will begin shooting down pigeons just to keep the spreadsheets balanced.
