Massive drone attack on Moscow: Mayor claims over 100 drones downed
Photo: Russian Emergencies Ministry (Getty Images)
Moscow came under a drone attack on the evening of October 28 and overnight into October 29. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin repeatedly reported Russian air defense activity, claiming that drones were being shot down as they approached the city.
According to him, the total number of intercepted drones exceeded 50. Shortly after midnight, Sobyanin reported that 15 drones had been intercepted.
"An attack by 15 UAVs heading toward Moscow has been repelled. Emergency services are working at the sites where debris fell," the mayor wrote.
He subsequently continued reporting additional drones being shot down. According to Sobyanin, Russian air defenses intercepted drones as they approached the capital, while emergency crews were dispatched to the sites where debris fell.
In total, counting from the evening of October 28, more than 100 drones were allegedly shot down.
The attack also disrupted operations at airports in the Moscow region. Temporary restrictions on aircraft arrivals and departures were imposed at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports.
According to Russian media, two planes flying from Turkiye to Moscow were forced to turn back because of restrictions at Vnukovo.
On the morning of October 29, Sobyanin reported a much higher number of drones that Russian air defenses had to deal with overnight.
According to the mayor, 613 drones were heading toward the Moscow region between the evening of October 28 and 7 a.m. on October 29.
Most of them were allegedly neutralized by Russian Defense Ministry air defense systems at a distance from the capital. Another 231 drones were destroyed as they approached Moscow, Sobyanin claimed.
Previous attacks on the Russian capital
As a reminder, reports recently emerged that Ukraine had triggered a new major disruption at Moscow's airports in a drone attack. The incident was reported on October 24.
On October 18, drones attacked Moscow and St. Petersburg. In response to the attack, Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) restricted aircraft arrivals and departures at two Moscow airports and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport.
