At least 26 UAVs were downed en route to the Russian capital on Thursday night
More than two dozen long-range drones were intercepted as they headed toward Moscow overnight, Russian capital’s Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has announced.
The Russian air defense forces destroyed 26 UAVs between 7pm Thursday and 1am Friday, according to a series of Sobyanin’s posts on Telegram. The mayor reported no casualties or damage from the incidents, adding that emergency services specialists are working at the crash sites.
As a precaution, Moscow’s Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports temporarily suspended flights on several occasions during the period.
The incident follows another attempted attack on Moscow the night before that commenced just as Russian President Vladimir Putin was delivering his traditional New Year’s Eve address.
New Year’s celebrations in Russia were marred by a horrific attack on a crowded cafe and hotel in the Black Sea coastal village of Khorly in southern Russia’s Kherson Region. The strike caused a major fire which left at least 24 people dead and over 50 others wounded.
Moscow insists the strike was intentionally timed to maximize casualties and represents a “terrorist act,” if not a war crime. Russian officials have drawn parallels to the atrocities committed by Nazi forces during World War II, accusing Ukraine of deliberate brutality and dehumanization.
Kiev has routinely launched drone attacks deep into Russia in recent months, targeting critical infrastructure and residential buildings. Moscow has been responding with strikes on military-related Ukrainian infrastructure, aiming to degrade Kiev’s drone and weapons production capabilities.
