The Russian defense ministry announced on Wednesday that the Tor-M2 air defense systems of the East battlegroup had successfully neutralized over 20 Ukrainian drones in the southern Donetsk direction over recent days.
“Tor-M2 of the air defense formation of the 5th combined arms army of the East battlegroup continue destroying air targets and defending the troops against air attacks in the south Donetsk direction of the special military operation. In the past days, Tor-M2 downed over 20 hostile attack, reconnaissance and kamikaze drones,” the ministry said.

It added that Ukrainian forces launched air probes with corner reflectors as dummy targets but they were detected because their characteristics differ from drones.

According to state news agency TASS, Tor-M2 has a range of 15 km and is designed to fight air-to-surface missiles, guided and smart air bombs, antiradar missiles and other precision weapons of a new generation, aircraft and helicopters, cruise missiles and drones.
The Tor-M2 modification is distinguished by a twice bigger round of munitions with 16 latest guided 9M338K missiles with an increased hit area, higher precision and smaller size. The launch interval from one vehicle comprises two seconds. Thus, a Tor-M2 battery can repel a massive attack of modern air weapons. One Tor-M2 can simultaneously attack four targets. It deploys in two minutes and another minute is necessary to lock on the target.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Air Force said the Russians launched overnight 14 Shahed one-way attack UAVs and a Kh-22 cruise missile from the southeastern direction.

“The Air Force, in cooperation with the air defense elements of Ukraine’s Ground Forces and the National Guard downed all 14 Shahed-131/136 drones,” the Ukrainian military said as cited by state news agency Ukrinform.

“Commander of the Joint Forces Lieutenant General Serhii Nayev says four unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down from the sky over Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions. Mobile fire groups, fighter aircraft, and air defense units operating in Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and Khmelnytsky regions were involved in repelling the attack,” reported Ukrinform.

The report added: “The Kh-22 cruise missile did not reach its target, falling on an uninhabited area in Zaporizhzhia region, but the blast wave damaged a number of households. No casualties were reported.”