Thick smoke rises from a major fire in Pskov, Russia, following a large drone strike last year. Ukraine has increased its drone attacks on Russia recently. AP Photo
On Wednesday, Ukraine launched a significant drone assault on Moscow, marking one of the largest drone attacks on the Russian capital. Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, reported that Russian air defence systems intercepted and shot down at least 10 drones aimed at the city.
The attack saw some drones being destroyed over Podolsk, a city located about 24 miles south of the Kremlin. Mayor Sobyanin shared the news on Telegram, stating, “The air defence systems of the defence ministry continue to repel enemy UAV attacks.” He added, “This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever. We continue to monitor the situation.”
Fortunately, Sobyanin indicated that, based on initial reports, there were no injuries or damage resulting from the drone strikes.
In recent months, Ukraine has increased its drone strikes targeting Moscow, which previously involved only one or two drones at a time. These attacks have been part of a broader strategy by Kyiv to hit infrastructure crucial to Russia’s military operations. Ukraine argues that these actions are a direct response to Russia’s ongoing strikes against Ukrainian territories.
The scale of Wednesday’s attack surpasses a similar incident from May 2023 when at least eight drones were destroyed over Moscow. President Vladimir Putin had characterized that earlier attack as an attempt by Kyiv to intimidate and provoke Russia.
Russian officials often release limited details about such attacks, focusing only on the drones intercepted by air defence systems. Both Ukraine and Russia typically avoid disclosing the full extent of the damage inflicted, unless it impacts residential areas or causes civilian casualties.
Wednesday's drone assault was part of a broader series of attacks involving Ukrainian drones targeting various Russian regions. Russian officials reported that air defence systems also intercepted 18 drones in the Bryansk region, situated on the border with Ukraine, and other drones and missiles over different areas. Governor Alexander Bogomaz of Bryansk confirmed that there were no reported casualties or damage from the drones intercepted in his region.
Additionally, Russia’s state news agency RIA reported that two drones were downed over the Tula region, which also borders Moscow. In another incident, Vasily Golubev, the governor of the Rostov region in southwestern Russia, stated that air defence forces shot down a Ukrainian missile over the region, with no injuries reported.
