Ukrainian spy balloons have been spotted over central Russia’s Yaroslavl Region for the first time, according to the regional Security Ministry.
Local authorities said several of the small flying objects were successfully shot down on Friday, urging residents to report anything suspicious that they see in the sky or suspected debris to emergency services.
The balloons “had been launched from the territory of Ukraine,” according to officials. Small reconnaissance balloons can be used to distract enemy air defenses, but they can also serve as reconnaissance platforms, including to pinpoint the locations of air defense systems or help direct strikes against other targets.
Yaroslavl Region has been targeted by Ukrainian long-range strikes in recent weeks. In mid-September, the Russian military shot down 65 drones over the region in a single day during a large-scale drone raid targeting a local refinery.
Although Friday’s incident was the first of its kind reported in Yaroslavl Region, the Russian military has encountered Ukrainian spy balloons and even explosive-laden balloons in the past.
In September 2025, the Ukrainian military attempted to strike several Russian regions with dozens of meteorological balloons carrying explosives.
The Wall Street Journal claimed in a February article that Kiev had been using high-altitude balloons in attacks on Russia since the Ukraine conflict escalated in 2022. However, according to the Russian Defense Ministry, such attacks were first detected in autumn 2024, with another surge in reported incidents in late summer 2025.
The recent balloon attacks come as Russia has stepped up strikes on missile and drone warehouses, as well as unmanned aerial vehicle assembly facilities, in response to continued Ukrainian strikes on Russian civilian and energy infrastructure, which Moscow describes as terrorist acts.
After Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky recently threatened to step up attacks on Russian oil refineries, Moscow vowed to intensify strikes on Ukraine’s military-related facilities while maintaining that it never targets civilians.
On Wednesday, the Russian military targeted a Smart Ammunition facility used to assemble and store FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles, FP-9 tactical ballistic missiles, and components for both weapons, as well as other sites across several Ukrainian regions, including a drone workshop in Kirovograd Region and the JTI Ukraine tobacco factory in Kremenchug, which Russian officials say is used to manufacture small-arms ammunition.