On Tuesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that it had downed 144 Ukrainian drones during a significant overnight attack affecting nine regions in western Russia, including the Moscow area.
The ministry labeled the operation as “a terrorist attack using unmanned aerial vehicles.” It detailed that 72 drones were intercepted over the Bryansk region, 14 over Kursk, 13 over Tula, eight over Belgorod, seven over Kaluga, five over Voronezh, four over Lipetsk, and one over Oryol.
The defense ministry noted that at least 20 drones flew over Moscow.
Moscow Regional Governor Andrey Vorobyov announced on Telegram that a 46-year-old woman was killed in Ramenskoye, southeast of Moscow, when a drone struck a residential building. This marks the first confirmed death of a Moscow resident due to a Ukrainian drone attack.
In addition, three people were injured and hospitalized, while 43 others were relocated to temporary accommodation centers. The attack damaged three buildings in the town, affecting 54 apartments.
Ukrainian Drone Attacks in Russia (Photo: Getty Images)
The attack also disrupted operations at three of Moscow’s four airports. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin reported that debris from a downed drone fell on the runway at Zhukovsky International Airport, located southeast of the capital.
Emergency crews were dispatched to address the incident. Additionally, drone fragments landed on a home in Troitsk, southwest of Moscow, though no casualties were reported.
Ukrainian officials have yet to comment on the attack, as Kyiv typically does not confirm or deny responsibility for strikes within Russian territory.
Meanwhile, Russia continued its long-range strikes on Ukraine into Tuesday morning. The Ukrainian air force reported that overnight, one Iskander-M ballistic missile, one Kh-31P anti-radar missile, and 48 Shahed attack drones were launched into Ukraine.
Of these, 38 drones were intercepted, three exited Ukrainian airspace, and three more were likely lost over Ukrainian territory due to electronic warfare measures. Air raid sirens were activated in Kyiv and 13 other regions of Ukraine, with warnings of potential drone strikes.
