Russian air defenses thwarted a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow during the night, with no casualties or damage on the ground, according to the city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin.
The official said the first of the UAVs was shot down near Podolsk, 40 km south of Moscow, at around 1:20am on Sunday, and an hour later, another drone was destroyed en route to the capital.
In a series of follow-up posts over a six-hour period, Sobyanin reported that more drones were intercepted over the Stupino, Odintsovo, Leninsky and Ramensky districts.
Another UAV reportedly attempted to target an oil refinery in Kapotnya, a district in southeast Moscow renowned for its petrol industry, but was shot down with no damage or injuries on the ground, Sobyanin added.
Meanwhile, the head of Moscow Region’s Kashira district, Mikhail Shuvalov, said the local Kashirskaya Power Plant was targeted by three drones overnight, but that the attack did not cause any casualties or damage.
“Electricity is being supplied to customers without interruption. Emergency services are working on site,” Shuvalov wrote on Telegram.
As of 7.30am local time, Russian air defenses were still engaging hostile targets, Sobyanin added. According to preliminary information, falling debris did not cause casualties or significant damage, and emergency services were working at the site.
Ukraine has periodically attempted to target the Russian capital – located more than 500 kilometers from the front line – with drone raids. Most of the UAVs have been neutralized before reaching their targets. On August 21, eleven UAVs were downed in the vicinity of the Russian capital in “one of the largest” Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow.