Russian authorities have reported a massive drone attack on Moscow and the Moscow region on the night of October 16. By 1:10 a.m. Moscow time, air defense forces had destroyed 59 unmanned aerial vehicles aimed at the capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.
The first reports of downed drones were published at around 11:16 p.m. on October 15. Within about an hour, the number steadily increased to 37, and after midnight more targets were reported destroyed. Sobyanin said that "emergency services specialists are working at the sites where debris fell."
Restrictions at all Moscow airports
Due to the threat to air traffic, Rosaviatsia has temporarily restricted the arrival and departure of aircraft at all four airports in the Moscow aviation hub - Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky.
According to Russian media, some of the aircraft heading to Moscow have been diverted to backup airports. The restrictions were introduced as a flight security measure while air defenses repelled the attack.
No confirmed casualties
So far, there have been no officially reported deaths or injuries in the attack. Serious damage to civilian infrastructure in Moscow has also not been confirmed. Russian authorities have only said that emergency teams are working at the sites where debris from downed drones fell.
Moscow has not provided details about the areas where the drones were shot down or the nature of the alleged targets. Russian authorities have identified the attack as Ukrainian, but there has been no independent confirmation of this version at this time.
The attack comes just a day after another massive wave of drone strikes, in which the Russian Defense Ministry said hundreds of drones were destroyed over various regions of the country. On October 13 and 14, restrictions at Moscow airports led to canceled and delayed flights.
Sources: interfax.ru, profile.ru, msk1.ru