Russia shoots down multiple Ukrainian drones near Moscow

(MENAFN) Russian air defense forces reported successfully detecting and neutralizing 21 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the Moscow Region, with at least five intercepted en route to the capital, according to officials.

Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said in a Telegram post on Tuesday evening that the drones were downed across seven municipalities: Ruzsky, Volokolamsky, Odintsovo, Mozhaysky, Narofominsky, Istra, and Chekhov, adding that air defenses were continuing to engage additional targets.

A 57-year-old man was injured when a drone crashed and exploded in the village of Pagubino in Volokolamsky district. He sustained shrapnel wounds to his back and arm and was hospitalized with moderate injuries. Medical personnel provided on-site care before transferring him to a trauma center.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin confirmed that five drones heading toward the capital were destroyed, prompting temporary flight suspensions at Vnukovo Airport as a safety precaution.

The Russian Defense Ministry stated that air defense systems eliminated at least 24 additional Ukrainian drones between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. Moscow time. The intercepted drones included 14 over Kaluga Region, five over Crimea, three over Belgorod, and one each over Tula and Kursk.

Ukraine has carried out repeated drone raids deep into Russian territory in recent months, targeting both critical infrastructure and residential areas, which Moscow has labeled as desperate “terrorist attacks.”

The recent drone swarms follow an attempted assault on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state residence in Novgorod Region on December 28-29. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the incident as “state terrorism.” Moscow has pledged a “non-diplomatic” response, having previously launched strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure aimed at weakening Kiev’s drone and weapons production capabilities.

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