Air traffic across Moscow faced significant disruptions on Thursday as the Russian capital experienced an attack involving Ukrainian drones. The Russian defense ministry reported that overnight, air defense systems successfully intercepted and destroyed a total of 105 drones, including 35 that were specifically targeting Moscow.
Moscow’s Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, updated the public via a Telegram post, revealing that emergency services were at the scenes where drone debris had fallen. This escalation followed a reported attack a day earlier in which 27 drones were launched towards the city. Additionally, Russia had deployed a record number of drones against Ukraine over the preceding weekend, according to statements from Kyiv.
Historically, while drone warfare has been a near-daily occurrence between Russia and Ukraine since the military conflict began over three years ago, Moscow has rarely found itself under direct threat. Consequently, the recent attacks raised alarms among residents and officials alike.
In response to the attacks, Russia’s aviation authority, Rosaviatsiya, announced a temporary halt to flights at multiple airports in Moscow, including the major Sheremetyevo airport. Other airports such as Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky were also affected, with planes grounded as a precautionary measure.
Despite mounting pressure from Kyiv and Western nations for a ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin has consistently rejected calls for an unconditional halt to hostilities. Currently, Russia occupies around one-fifth of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula, which it annexed in 2014. The ongoing conflict has resulted in tremendous human cost, with tens of thousands dead, millions displaced, and widespread destruction across numerous Ukrainian cities and villages.
