FALCON POWERS – Russian authorities announced on Sunday that they intercepted 34 drones launched by Ukraine targeting the Moscow region, marking the largest such attack on the capital since the invasion began in early 2022.
Officials confirmed that the attack temporarily halted air traffic at the three airports in the capital and resulted in injuries to a 52-year-old woman, along with fires in two houses in the village of Stanovoï in the Moscow region. While Kyiv has faced repeated rocket and drone attacks since the war began in February 2022, attacks targeting Moscow remain rare.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that air defense systems shot down a total of 70 Ukrainian drones between 4:00 and 7:00 AM UTC on Sunday.
It noted that 34 drones were intercepted over the Moscow region, while the others were distributed over Bryansk, Kaluga, Tula, and Kursk.
In the Moscow area, officials indicated that the drones were shot down over the Ramenskoye, Kolomna, and Domodedovo districts.
A video circulated on social media showed flames engulfing a house believed to be in Ramenskoye.
A woman in Ramenskoye was killed during a widespread drone attack in September. This was the first time such an attack resulted in a fatality near Moscow since Russian forces began their invasion of Ukraine over two years ago.
In May 2023, Russian authorities reported intercepting two drones near the Kremlin, while multiple drone attacks on the commercial district of the capital were recorded that same year.
- “Massive” Attack –
Authorities halted air traffic at the three airports in the capital for about two hours.
Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov described Sunday’s attack as “massive.”
He clarified that the injured woman was hospitalized for treatment of “facial, neck, and hand injuries.”
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had intercepted at least 25 Ukrainian drones in the airspace of several regions, including Bryansk, Rostov, Belgorod, and Kursk, all located near the border with Ukraine, where such attacks are frequently reported.
