Massive Drone Attack Targets Moscow, 73 Drones Shot Down

MOSCOW, Russia — In a significant escalation of hostilities, a total of 73 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow were shot down early Tuesday morning, according to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin. This attack is the largest on the Russian capital in months and coincides with a Ukrainian delegation’s scheduled meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Saudi Arabia to discuss ending the three-year conflict with Russia.

Sobyanin reported on the messaging app Telegram that at least 11 of the drones were intercepted over the Ramensky and Domodedovo districts, which surround the capital. He did not disclose the exact locations of the other drones but confirmed that they were “flying towards Moscow.”

The drone assault resulted in at least one death and three injuries, as stated by Andrei Vorobyov, governor of the Moscow region. The attack also caused damage to seven apartments in a residential building in the Ramensky district and ignited vehicles in a Domodedovo parking lot, according to Russian state news agencies RIA Novosti and Tass.

Despite the damaging effects, Sobyanin characterized the damage to a building’s roof in Moscow as “insignificant.” RIA Novosti released footage showing a charred section on the facade of a multi-story residential building.

In response to the attack, Russian civil aviation authority Rosaviatsia announced flight restrictions at four airports: Domodedovo, Vnukovo, Zhukovsky, and Sheremetyevo. Additionally, train services through Domodedovo railway station were temporarily suspended. Authorities reported successful interceptions or electronic jamming of drones in adjacent regions, including Kaluga, Ryazan, Tula, and Vladimir, as well as Belgorod, near the border with Ukraine.

There was also an attack reported in the Lipetsk region to the south of Kaluga and Tula, which left one person injured. Furthermore, flights were restricted to and from airports in the Yaroslavl and Nizhny Novgorod regions.