On Wednesday, Ukraine launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow, according to the city’s mayor. Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that Russian air defense units intercepted and destroyed at least 11 drones targeting the capital. Some of the drones were downed over the city of Podolsk, located approximately 38 kilometers south of the Kremlin.
In a Telegram post at 4:43 a.m., Sobyanin stated, “The air defense systems of the Defense Ministry continue to repel enemy UAV (unmanned aerial vehicles) attacks. This is one of the largest attempts to attack Moscow using drones ever. We continue to monitor the situation.” Preliminary information indicated that the attacks resulted in no injuries or damage.
Drone strikes on Moscow have been relatively rare. In May 2023, a similar attack saw at least eight drones destroyed over the capital. Russian President Vladimir Putin had described that incident as Kyiv’s attempt to intimidate and provoke Russia.
Russian officials typically disclose only the number of drones their air defenses intercept, with limited information about the full scale of such attacks. Both Ukraine and Russia generally avoid revealing the full extent of damage unless civilian infrastructure is affected or casualties occur.
Wednesday’s drone attack on Moscow was part of a broader series of Ukrainian drone strikes across Russia. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that its air defenses also shot down 23 drones over the Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine. Additionally, six drones were intercepted over Belgorod, three over the Kaluga region, and two over the Kursk region.
Governor Alexander Bogomaz of Bryansk reported on Telegram that there were no casualties or damage from the drones in his region. Russian state news agency RIA also reported the destruction of two drones over the Tula region, which borders Moscow to the north.
In a separate incident, Vasily Golubev, governor of the Rostov region, said that Russian air defenses had destroyed a missile launched from Ukraine, with no injuries reported. These reports could not be independently verified, and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine.
Kyiv has intensified its air attacks on Russian territory in recent months, aiming to damage infrastructure crucial to Moscow’s war efforts. The Ukrainian government argues that these attacks are a response to ongoing Russian strikes on Ukrainian territory.
The drone attack occurred after Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov inspected Chechen troops and volunteers preparing for combat in Ukraine. This visit marked Putin’s first trip to the North Caucasus republic in 13 years. During his visit, Putin praised the Chechen troops at the Russian Special Forces University in Gudermes, stating, “As long as we have men like you, we are absolutely, absolutely invincible.”
Kadyrov, who has faced US sanctions for alleged human rights abuses, informed Putin that Chechnya had contributed over 47,000 troops, including about 19,000 volunteers, to the conflict since its inception. Putin expressed his appreciation for Kadyrov’s support, commenting, “If I had more of these foot soldiers, I would be very happy.”
Before traveling to Chechnya, Putin visited Beslan in North Ossetia for the first time in at least 16 years. The 2004 school siege by Islamic militants in Beslan resulted in over 330 deaths, including 136 children. Putin described the attack as an “unhealed wound” in Russia’s history and reaffirmed the country’s commitment to fighting those who seek to destabilize it, including the ongoing conflict in the Kursk region and the broader Donbas region in Ukraine.
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