Russian officials have reported shooting down 144 Ukrainian drones in a series of overnight attacks that resulted in one fatality, fires in residential buildings, and disruptions to flights in Moscow.
Governor Andrei Vorobyov of Moscow region stated that several apartments in two high-rise buildings in Ramenskoye were set ablaze. A 46-year-old woman was killed, three others were injured, and 43 people were evacuated to temporary shelters.
Ukraine has yet to comment on the attacks. Russia’s defense ministry detailed that of the 144 intercepted drones, half were downed in the western border region of Bryansk, 20 over Moscow, and 14 in the Kursk region.
The strikes led to the closure of four airports in Moscow, suspending over 30 domestic and international flights serving the Russian capital. Rosaviatsia, Russia’s aviation authority, later confirmed that operations at Domodedovo, Zhukovsky, and Vnukovo airports had resumed.
In response, the Ukrainian Air Force reported that it had downed 38 of the 46 Shahed-type attack drones launched by Russia, targeting various regions including Kyiv, Odesa, Kherson, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Poltava. Additionally, Russia launched an Iskander-M ballistic missile and a Kh-31 air-to-surface missile.
The latest drone strikes come amid Moscow’s claims of territorial gains in eastern Ukraine. On Sunday, Russia announced control over the village of Novohrodivka, near the key town of Pokrovsk, though Kyiv has not yet confirmed this, and sources indicated that Ukrainian forces may have retreated.
This month, Russia has conducted a series of lethal strikes on Lviv, Poltava, and Kharkiv. The conflict has intensified following Ukraine’s offensive into Russia’s Kursk region last month.
