In the early hours of August 20, 2026 Russian air defense (AVO) has reflected new simultaneous air strikes in several regions of the country, targeting key infrastructure. The AVO forces managed to intercept missiles in the sky over the Penza region, while dozens of more drones were destroyed on the approaches to the capital Moscow and neighboring regions, the Russian news network reports (source: Lenta.News).
Missile threat in Penza
According to the Governor of the Penza region Oleg Melnichenko, a special missile threat regime was introduced in the region at 04:24 Moscow time, which lasted for nearly an hour. Melnichenko confirmed in a statement that the missiles were successfully destroyed by the military before they reached the administrative center of Penza. There are currently no reports of serious damage or injuries to civilians in the city.
Drones on the outskirts of Moscow and neighboring regions
At the same time as the missile attack in Penza, a massive wave of drones attacked the Moscow region and central Russia. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin initially announced that eight drones had been shot down, and later the number of drones destroyed on the outskirts of the metropolis reached another 12 drones (source: Sever-Press). According to him, emergency and rescue services are already working at the places where the debris fell.
Intensive air defense actions have also been registered in the regions neighboring the capital:
Tula Region: Governor Dmitry Milyaev reports a record number of 35 Ukrainian UAVs shot down within 24 hours. Kaluga Region: Air Defense forces have neutralized a total of 24 drones. Ryazan Region: The destruction of 6 more drones has been registered, with local authorities reporting no casualties.This new wave of airstrikes comes in the context of a greatly intensified escalation in the second half of August, after the Moscow region suffered some of the most extensive attacks since the beginning of the conflict in the previous days.