This incident comes amid an increase in attempts by Ukrainian forces to attack Moscow using drones
Screenshot from social media footage
Two explosive-laden drones that were heading towards Moscow were successfully intercepted and shot down on Thursday morning. This was confirmed by the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, through his official Telegram channel, as well as Russia’s Ministry of Defense.
According to Mayor Sobyanin, the air defense systems were activated at around 4 a.m. local time. One drone was intercepted over the Kaluga region, while the other was shot down in the vicinity of the Central Ring Road.
The military added that 9 more UAVs were suppressed by means of electronic warfare and, having not reached the target, crashed in the Black Sea. “As a result of the thwarted terrorist attacks, there were no casualties and no damage,” the ministry stressed.
At the same time, an auto repair shop in the suburban area of Domodedovo, just outside Moscow, became engulfed in flames, consuming an area of approximately 1,000 square meters. The regional branch of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) confirmed the incident. Eyewitnesses reported hearing explosive sounds. Potential connection to the recently intercepted drones remains unclear.
Mayor Sobyanin previously reported two downed drones just a day prior. The surge in drone attacks from Kiev has been ongoing since late July.
On July 24th, two drones targeted buildings on Komsomolsky Avenue and a business center on Likhachev Avenue. Mayor Sobyanin and the Ministry of Defense had reported another thwarted attack on July 28th.
Further attempts took place on July 30th and August 1st when drones reached the “Moscow-City” business district. On July 30th, a drone crash resulted in minor damage to the facades of two office towers within the “IQ Quarter,” housing key ministries including the Ministry of Digital Development, Ministry of Economic Development, and Ministry of Industry and Trade. On August 1st, a drone damaged a facade at the 21st floor level of one of the towers.
Sobyanin announced on August 6th that authorities had successfully thwarted another drone intrusion into the capital. The drone was eliminated using air defense measures. The Ministry of Defense confirmed the drone attack attempt, revealing that Ukraine had planned to target objects within the Moscow region. The drone was neutralized in the Podolsk district without causing casualties or significant damage, according to military sources. Later, the Mayor of Podolsk, Dmitry Zharikov, stated that several homes had experienced broken windows due to the incident.
In response to these attacks, Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the Russian President, commented that Ukraine’s actions underscored the “nature of the Kiev regime.” He emphasized that necessary measures were being taken to ensure security, and assured that there were no plans to increase the level of terrorist threat in Moscow.
