Ukrainian UAVs have been shot down outside the Russian capital, according to Sergey Sobyanin
FILE PHOTO: A Pantsir-S1 air defense missile system © Sputnik
Ukrainian forces have targeted the Russian capital in an attempted coordinated drone attack, with at least 20 UAVs intercepted over Moscow, Bryansk, Kaluga and Tula regions early Sunday morning, according to the mayor and the Defense Ministry.
“A massive drone attack was attempted tonight… The air defense forces shot down UAVs in the area of Naro-Fominsk and Odintsovo city district, en route to Moscow,” mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Telegram on Sunday morning. Another drone was shot down near Podolsk.
The drones caused no injuries or significant damage on the ground in Moscow, Sobyanin said, adding that the emergency services were responding to the incident and locating the debris.
However, in Tula one of the jammed drones lost control and hit a residential highrise, slightly injuring one person, according to local governor Aleksey Dyumin.
The military said that yet another “attempted Ukrainian terrorist attack was thwarted” overnight, confirming that by 5am at least 11 drones were intercepted over four regions southwest of the Russian capital. Two hour later, the military said that another nine drones were intercepted over the same regions.
Kiev has repeatedly used drone strikes in what Russian officials described as “terrorist attacks” on civilian infrastructure, reaching as far as Moscow.
Earlier this month, a Ukrainian general in charge of UAV operations claimed that Kiev was gearing up for a massive drone bombing campaign against Russia this winter, as the fighting on the ground is expected to enter a lull due to harsh weather conditions.
On Saturday, Ukraine accused Russia of carrying out its biggest drone attack, with most of its targets located in the country’s capital, Kiev. The Ukrainian Air Force claimed to have intercepted over 70 Russian drones overnight. Moscow had previously blamed Kiev for vastly exaggerating its supposed successes, and claiming to take down more munitions than Russia actually fires.
