Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Ukraine carried out its biggest drone attack on the Russian capital with over 91 drones striking Moscow. The strike killed one person, sparking fires, shutting airports, and pushing dozens of flights to be diverted, Russian officials stated.
The Russian defence ministry said, in total, 337 Ukrainian drones were downed over Russia, including 91 over the Moscow territory and 126 over the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces have been retreating.
The massive dawn drone episode unfolded just as a group of Ukrainian officials scheduled to meet a U.S. delegate in Saudi Arabia to pursue grounds for possible peace discussions in the three-year-old war.
What are the consequences of the massive drone assault?
Mayor of Moscow region, Sergei Sobyanin said air defences were still defending against attacks on the city, which along with the surrounding area has a population of at least 21 million and is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe.
“The most massive attack of enemy UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) on Moscow has been repelled,”
Sobyanin said.
Moreover, Moscow Regional Governor Andrei Vorobyov stated at least one person was killed and three wounded, and he posted an image of a grounded apartment with its windows blown out. Vorobyov expressed that some residents were moved to evacuate a multi-storey building in the Ramenskoye district of the Moscow area, about 50 km southeast of the Kremlin.
How did the drone strikes affect Moscow’s airports and travel?
Temporary restrictions have been placed on flights in and out of six airports, including Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky just outside Moscow, and airports in the Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl regions. Russia’s aviation watchdog stated flights were stopped at all four of Moscow’s airports to maintain safety after the attacks.
The Russian military has developed a number of electronic “umbrellas” over Moscow and over strategic installations, with additional state-of-the-art internal layers over strategic facilities, and a sophisticated system of air defences to intercept the drones before they reach Moscow in the heart of the capital.
When was Moscow last attacked by Ukrainian drones?
One of the last major drone strikes to rattle Moscow and its suburbs occurred in November 2024. It injured several people and temporarily halted traffic at some of Russia’s busiest airports.
This drone strike came after Russian President Vladimir Putin passed into law a pact with North Korea, obliging the two governments to provide immediate military assistance using “all means” if either is struck. The deal marks the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the end of the Cold War.
