MOSCOW, October 17. /TASS/. Russian air defense forces intercepted and destroyed 654 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and a HIMARS rocket over the past day, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported.

"Air defense capabilities shot down a rocket of the US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket system and 654 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said in a statement.

Overall, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 674 Ukrainian combat aircraft, 284 helicopters, 263,889 unmanned aerial vehicles, 672 surface-to-air missile systems, 31,269 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,790 multiple rocket launchers, 36,745 field artillery guns and mortars and 74,762 special military motor vehicles since the start of the special military operation, the ministry reported.