A massive drone attack was carried out on the night of October 6 in the direction of Moscow and the Moscow region. According to Russian authorities, from 20:30 on October 5 to 05:00 on October 6 Bulgarian time, about 650 drones flew towards the Moscow region.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reports that a large part of the drones were destroyed on the distant outskirts of the region. Just before reaching the capital, at least 93 UAVs were shot down, according to his latest reports.
The attack lasted for hours
During the night, Sobyanin reported several times about new groups of drones heading towards Moscow. The number of those destroyed immediately on the approaches to the capital gradually increased - from the initially reported 13 to 39, 57, 81 and finally 93.
Emergency and rescue teams were sent to the places where debris from the downed devices fell.
As of the early hours of October 6, there were no reports of large-scale destruction in the central part of Moscow. Russian authorities continue to investigate the consequences of the fallen debris.
Restrictions at Moscow airports
Due to the ongoing attack, air traffic restrictions have been introduced at Moscow airports.
The measures affected Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky. The restrictions are related to the need to ensure the safety of civil aviation against the backdrop of the ongoing threat from drones.
This is not the first case in recent months in which drone attacks have led to serious disruptions to air traffic in the Russian capital and its surroundings.
Moscow is under increasing attacks
The scale of the night attack is significant even against the backdrop of the increased frequency of drone attacks on Moscow in recent months.
Just a day earlier, Sergei Sobyanin announced that 9,994 UAVs were targeted in the Moscow region between September 1 and October 5.
According to him, most of them were destroyed on the far approaches to the region, while 862 drones were shot down immediately before reaching Moscow.
The final assessment of the damage, possible casualties and the number of drones destroyed may change as new information arrives in the morning.
New data is expected from the Russian authorities on the consequences of the attack and possible damage in the Moscow region.
Sources: Interfax, Reuters