Russia destroys Ukrainian drones including over Moscow, defense ministry says
Russia has foiled more than 20 Ukrainian drone attacks over Russian territory in the past day, including on the capital, Moscow, officials said Sunday, a day after it launched its largest drone attack against the Ukrainian capital since the full-scale invasion began.
According to Russia’s Ministry of Defense, 24 Ukrainian drones have been destroyed over the territories of Moscow, Tula, Kaluga, Bryansk and Smolensk oblasts in the past 24 hours.
In addition, Russian air defenses intercepted 53 Ukrainian drones during the same period over Ukrainian areas under Russian control, according to the ministry. They included Kharkiv, Kherson, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR).
“Seventeen HIMARS MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems) projectiles have been intercepted over the past 24 hours,” the ministry added.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said no injuries or damage were reported as a result of the wreckage from intercepted drones.
In the Russian region of Tula, one of the drones crashed into an apartment building, resulting in damage to windows and one person receiving a slight cut, according to the Tula governor, Alexey Dyumin.
An attack that targeted the DPR damaged the power system and left parts of the region without power overnight, according to the DPR’s Russian-backed head, Denis Pushilin.
“The situation is difficult,” Pushilin said on Telegram on Sunday, adding: “The work is ongoing, everything is being done to return the heat and light for our citizens as soon as possible.”
Russia’s Ministry of Defense also said Sunday that its air defenses had destroyed two S-200 anti-aircraft missiles in the air over the Sea of Azov at around 11 a.m. Moscow time (3 a.m. ET).
The attacks follow Russia’s largest drone attack against Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv since the start of its full-scale invasion, according to local officials. A Telegram post from Ukraine’s Air Force said it had intercepted 71 Shahed drones across six regions of Ukraine, with the vast majority in Kyiv region. It described the attack as a “record number” of drones.
The attack on Kyiv left 77 residential buildings and 120 establishments in the city center temporarily without power Saturday, before supply was restored later in the day.
As the weather grows colder, Ukraine faces fears of a repeat of events from last winter, when Russia carried out a sustained campaign of attacks on its energy infrastructure.
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