In one of Ukraine’s most significant drone assaults on Moscow, the city’s mayor has divulged that 11 of these aerial vehicles, aimed at the capital, were intercepted and destroyed by Russian air defences. Some of these unmanned aircraft were brought down over Podolsk, a city 38km south of the Kremlin.
“As one of our most significant drone-based aggressions towards Moscow, this attempt was fortunately mitigated,” stated Mayor Sergei Sobyanin via the Telegram messaging service in the early hours of the morning. The latest bout of confrontation arrives as Russia continues to battle to expel Ukrainian troops from its Kursk region, a fortnight after its western border was breached. This is considered to be the largest invasion of Russia since the events of the Second World War.
Remarkably, despite the scale of the attacks, initial reports suggest no injuries or damage have been reported. Historically, Ukraine has typically launched an occasional couple of drone strikes on Moscow, with recent incidents causing minimal damage. But the scale of Wednesday’s assault outstrips the May 2023 attack when eight drones were intercepted and eliminated from Russian airspace.
Russian officials seldom reveal full details about the extent of such attacks, instead focusing on the successful drone destructions by their air defence forces. Both Russian and Ukrainian authorities likewise don’t always disclose the true impact of these strikes, unless domestic or civilian environments are impacted or civilian casualties incurred.
The broad campaign by Ukraine involved widespread drone assaults on Russia. The defence ministry in Russia confirmed that a further 23 drones were destroyed over Bryansk’s border region. Also, in close encounters with Ukraine, six drones near Belgrod, three near Kaluga, and two near the conflicted Kursk region were neutralised. Alexander Bogomaz, the governor of the Bryansk region, reported no casualties or damages post-attack.
Further to the north of the Moscow region, two additional drones were intercepted over the Tula region, according to Russia’s RIA state news.
Vasily Golubev, who serves as the governor of Rostov, a region located in the southwestern part of Russia, stated independently that a missile launched by Ukraine was annihilated by Russian air defence forces over his region without any hint of injuries sustained. None of the statements issued by the Russian defence ministry included mentions of either Rostov or Tula when listing the destroyed air armaments. Reuters was unable to validate these reports independently, and Ukraine remained silent without furnishing any immediate reactions.
In the recent past, Kyiv has intensified its airborne assaults on Russian soil with the explicit intention of crippling infrastructure crucial for Russia’s war pursuits. It further asserts that these attacks are a counterstrike to Russia’s incessant bombardment of Ukraine’s land. – Courtesy of Reuters.
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