Ukrainian drones launched a wave of attacks on southern Russia overnight Sunday into Monday, halting train traffic in the Rostov region and disrupting air travel in Moscow – as Russia simultaneously pounded Kyiv with one of its largest aerial assaults in months.
In Rostov, debris from a downed drone hit the Kamennolomni railway station, said acting regional governor Yuri Slyusar. Three workers were evacuated, but no one was hurt, he said on Telegram.
A fire broke out at the station and had to be put out using a special fire train, according to the North Caucasus Railway. The incident delayed 26 passenger trains for up to 4.5 hours.
It’s the second drone-related disruption to hit Rostov’s railways in recent days. On July 19, debris damaged overhead lines on the Likhaya–Zamchalovo route. Russian Railways said delays affected more than 130 long-distance trains, with some running up to 15 hours late.
Passengers on board complained of extreme heat, broken air conditioning, and poor ventilation. Affected trains included services to and from Crimea run by Grand Service Express.
Meanwhile, air defenses shot down 13 drones over Moscow, according to city mayor Sergei Sobyanin. The strike temporarily halted flights at Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports for about three hours. Dozens of flights were canceled.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said 74 drones were downed across the country overnight, including 23 over Moscow region. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
At the same time, Russia launched a massive air assault on Ukraine with drones and missiles in one of the fiercest bombardments in recent months.
Explosions echoed across the capital, Kyiv, for hours, killing at least one person, damaging metro infrastructure, and sparking fires in several neighborhoods. Poland scrambled fighter aircraft on alert status in response to the missile activity near its border.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 450 aerial weapons — including 426 Shahed drones and decoys, five Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, 14 Kh-101 cruise missiles, four Kalibr missiles from the Black Sea, and an Iskander-K missile. Launches came from multiple directions, including from Russia and the Black Sea.