Russia’s capital faced another predawn drone assault today, with Moscow officials reporting dozens of unmanned aircraft shot down and air traffic briefly disrupted—an incident that comes only days after Ukraine struck the city’s lone oil refinery again.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram that nearly 60 drones heading toward Moscow were downed. He offered no further details, but said emergency services were sent to the locations where the drones fell.
Flight operations were temporarily suspended at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo airports, along with Zhukovsky near the capital, according to a separate statement from the aviation watchdog. Flights were later resumed.
Across Russia and Russia-occupied areas, air defences destroyed 301 drones overnight, local newswires reported, citing the defence ministry.
The latest attack follows last week’s drone strike on Moscow’s only oil refinery. During that earlier incident, Moscow’s defence systems shot down nearly 200 drones, in what was described as one of the largest air attacks on the city since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Watch: Firefighters battle blaze after Russian strikes hit Odesa
In Ukraine, officials reported two deaths and six injuries from separate Russian attacks overnight.
In the southern Odesa region, Russia launched an Iskander ballistic missile yesterday evening, killing one person and injuring three, regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
Kiper said the strike hit an agricultural facility, setting vehicles and fuel storage tanks ablaze.
In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, a woman was killed and three other people were injured in a drone attack, local governor Ivan Fedorov said on Telegram.
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Ukraine’s navy said a Russian drone attack also struck the Victress, a Turkish dry cargo vessel sailing under the Panamanian flag. It added that there were casualties among the nine-member international crew, which it said it rescued.
Reuters could not independently verify the details.
In Russia-annexed Crimea, Sevastopol cancelled all open-air public events today and will keep street lights switched off, city governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said on Telegram, urging residents to limit electricity consumption.
Crimea, a popular tourist destination for Russians, has halted fuel sales to the public and businesses, limiting supplies to government agencies responsible for essential services and security. The restrictions come as Ukraine’s drone attacks on supply routes and energy facilities elsewhere have contributed to a fuel crisis.
