At least 32 UVAs heading towards the capital have been destroyed by air defenses, Sergey Sobyanin has said
The Russian capital is repelling a major Ukrainian drone attack, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin has said.
At least 32 incoming UAVs were shot down early on Sunday by air defenses near the towns of Domodedovo, Ramenskoye and Kolomna to the south east of Moscow, Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.
Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyev also said a “massive drone attack” was underway and that air defenses continue to operate across the region.
In Ramenskoye disctrict, a UAV went down in the village of Stanovoye, setting two homes on fire. A 52-year-old woman was injured by shrapnel and hospitalized with burns to her face, neck and arms, the governor said on Telegram.
Several videos have been posted on social media, appearing to show fixed-wing drones being shot down over the Moscow Region. There is also footage of a blaze in Stanovoye, which shows several private homes being almost completely destroyed by the flames.
Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia has announced that Sheremetyevo International Airport has suspended its operations due to the drone raid.
Kiev has intensified its drone incursions into Russia since January, mainly targeting energy infrastructure, but also hitting residential areas. Moscow has responded by adding Ukrainian power plants to its list of legitimate military targets. Most of Ukraine’s non-nuclear generation capacity has been disabled or destroyed by Russian strikes since then.
A major Ukrainian UAV attack on Russian territory took place on October 20 and saw as many as 110 drones shot down or intercepted above several Russian regions, according the Defense Ministry. There were also a number of major raids in August and September.