Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses shot down 74 drones approaching the capital in several waves around 4 a.m. local time, primarily in the Ramenskoye and Domodedovo areas, about 40-50 km south of the Kremlin.
The governor of the Moscow region, Andrey Vorobyov, initially reported one fatality and three injuries, but later updated the toll to two dead and 14 wounded.
Russian Telegram channels Baza and Mash mentioned 20 injured, including two children, and said a security guard in Domodedovo was among the fatalities; a 50-year-old man died later in intensive care.
Widespread damage, flight disruptions
Authorities said debris from downed drones hit the roof of a residential building on Domodedovskaya Street, causing minor damage, while seven apartments in Ramenskoye were destroyed, forcing the evacuation of 12 people. Videos circulating on Russian social media showed fires in residential areas after the attacks.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency imposed temporary flight restrictions at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports. Rail operations were also disrupted near Domodedovo after debris damaged railway infrastructure.
Conflicting official numbers
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed air defenses intercepted 337 drones overnight, including 91 above the Moscow region, 126 in Kursk, and others in Ryazan, Kaluga, Lipetsk, Oryol, Voronezh, and Nizhny Novgorod.
These figures differ from the 74 drones cited by local officials. Reuters reported that if confirmed, this would be the largest Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow since the war began. Kyiv has not commented on the incident.
The strike occurred just hours before a planned meeting in Saudi Arabia, where U.S. and Ukrainian delegations are set to discuss steps toward ending the conflict.
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Source: Polskie Radio 24, RMF FM, Kyiv Post, Reuters