Russia Downs Most of 340 Drones Sent Toward Moscow, Mayor Says

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that 340 Ukrainian drones were dispatched toward the capital region over a 24-hour period, with the vast majority intercepted by Russian air defense systems, according to a statement on his Telegram channel.

Escalating Drone Warfare

Sobyanin stated that "most of them were neutralised by air defence forces on the outer approaches." He specified that more than 50 of the drones were destroyed while directly en route to Moscow.

The mayor routinely provides public updates on such incidents. According to the Reuters report, drone incursions into the airspace around the Russian capital have become a regular occurrence.

Strategic Focus on Infrastructure

The report comes as Ukraine has intensified its drone campaign against strategic and economic targets deep inside Russian territory. These attacks have increasingly focused on Russia's vital oil industry, a key source of revenue for the state.

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Ukrainian military officials recently claimed responsibility for drone strikes on the Salavat petrochemical complex in the Urals and the Afipsky refinery in southern Russia. These sustained attacks on energy infrastructure have reportedly contributed to gasoline shortages in parts of Russia, impacting the domestic economy.

Retaliatory Attacks

The conflict has seen a reciprocal escalation in aerial assaults. Russian forces have also stepped up drone and missile attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russia launched a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles at the Ukrainian capital early Tuesday, marking the fifth such attack this month. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the strikes damaged 16 sites in Kyiv, including a school and a business.