Ukraine launched one of its largest drone strikes against Moscow, Russian air defense units destroyed 11 drones flying towards the capital, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said, quoted by Reuters, BTA reported.
Some of the unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down over the city of Podolsk, he specified. The city is located about 38 km south of the Kremlin. "This is one of the largest attempted drone strikes against Moscow in history. We continue to monitor the situation. The air defense systems of the Ministry of Defense continue to repel attacks by enemy drones, Sobyanin said on the Telegram social network. at 4:43 am.
He added that according to preliminary information, there were no casualties or damage as a result of the attacks. The blow came as Russia, while advancing in eastern Ukraine, is having difficulty pushing Ukrainian forces into its Kursk region – two weeks after they crossed Russia's western border in the largest incursion of foreign troops into Russian territory since World War II.
In recent months, Ukraine has often launched one or two drones aimed at Moscow without causing significant damage. But last night's attack appears to be more massive than the one in May 2023, when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital in what President Vladimir Putin said was an attempt by Kiev to intimidate and provoke Russia.
Russian officials rarely reveal the full extent of the attacks, reporting only the drones that the country's air defense units have destroyed. Both Ukraine and Russia rarely reveal the full extent of the damage they inflict with their attacks, unless residential or civilian infrastructure is damaged or civilians are killed, Reuters notes.
Tonight's attack on Moscow was part of a larger attack by Ukraine on Russia last night, with the Ministry of Defense in Moscow saying that air defense units destroyed 23 drones in the border region of Bryansk.
Six drones were also destroyed over another region bordering Ukraine - Belgorodsk, three over Kaluga region near Moscow and two over Kursk, the Ministry announced. There were no reports of casualties or damage in the attack on the border region of Bryansk in the southwestern part of Russia, Governor Alexander Bogomaz announced in Telegram.
Russian state news agency RIA reported that two drones were also destroyed over Tula Oblast, which borders Moscow Oblast to the north. In addition, Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region in southwestern Russia, said that air defense forces had destroyed a missile fired from Ukraine over the region, and there were no reports of casualties.
The Russian Ministry of Defense did not mention either the Tula or Rostov regions in its announcement. The data exported by the Russian side cannot yet be verified by an independent source. There is no comment from the Ukrainian side either. In recent months, Kiev has stepped up its airstrikes against Russian territory. Ukraine has announced that the purpose of these actions is to destroy infrastructure that is key to Moscow's military effort. Kiev added that the attacks were a response to ongoing Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory.