On the night of Saturday, October 17, Moscow came under a massive drone attack. Russian authorities claimed that more than 140 drones heading toward the capital had allegedly been destroyed. Due to the threat of strikes, flight restrictions were introduced at Moscow's airports. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported this on Telegram, UNN writes.
Details
The first reports of the attack appeared shortly after midnight. At 00:40 Kyiv time, Sobyanin reported that 15 drones had allegedly been shot down, and approximately an hour later he reported the destruction of another 14 aircraft.
After 3 a.m., Russian authorities reported another 15 drones shot down. Around 5 a.m., Sobyanin reported 25 more drones that had allegedly been intercepted on approach to the capital.
Russians reported the largest number of drones in the morning
Around 7 a.m., the mayor of Moscow reported that another 75 drones had allegedly been destroyed. Thus, according to his published statements, Russian air defenses had allegedly shot down at least 144 drones during the night.
At the same time, Sobyanin did not report any specific damage or casualties resulting from the attack. He only noted that emergency services were working at the sites where debris had fallen.
On the evening of October 16, "Rosaviatsia" announced temporary restrictions on the operation of Moscow's airports. Such measures were introduced amid reports of drones approaching the capital.
There is currently no independent confirmation of the number of downed drones claimed by the Russian authorities. Information about the possible consequences of the overnight attack also remains limited.