A massive overnight barrage of nearly 300 Ukrainian drones struck targets across Russia early Thursday, forcing Moscow’s major airports to halt flights for seven hours and sending emergency crews scrambling to respond to falling debris, Russian officials said.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 36 Ukrainian drones were shot down as they approached the capital over more than seven hours. He gave no information on casualties or damage, saying only that emergency services were working at impact sites.
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Russia’s aviation agency closed all four major Moscow airports – Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky – to arrivals and departures. At least 133 flights were canceled, delayed or diverted as the capital’s airspace temporarily shut down.
Voronezh hit; apartment buildings damaged
In Russia’s Voronezh, falling debris from what officials called a “high-speed aerial target” damaged several apartment blocks late Wednesday, Regional Governor Alexander Gusev said.
A stairwell collapsed in one “sparsely populated” building, prompting the evacuation of 80 residents. No injuries were reported.
Emergency shelters were opened, and local authorities warned that heating may temporarily drop in several neighborhoods after power lines and parts of the heating network were damaged. Sixteen city streets lost electricity, local media reported.
Footage analyzed by independent outlet Astra showed some of the damaged buildings located about one kilometer (0.6 miles) from a power plant and near the Voronezhsintezkauchuk chemical factory, which produces synthetic rubber and is owned by the Sibur petrochemical group.
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Explosions reported in Veliky Novgorod
Local Telegram channel “Shot” reported explosions in Veliky Novgorod, followed by a fire in one district. Exilenova +, another Telegram channel, said locals reported a drone strike on the Akron mineral fertilizer plant, one of Russia’s major producers of nitrogen and complex fertilizers.
Russia claims nearly 300 drones downed nationwide
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said 287 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones were intercepted overnight across 12 regions – one of the largest reported attacks of the war. The drones were concentrated in three regions:
- Bryansk region: 118 drones
- Moscow region: 40
- Kaluga region: 40
Drones were also shot down over Tula, Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Lipetsk, Smolensk, Kursk, Oryol, Voronezh and Ryazan regions.
The last major drone assault on Moscow happened on Sept. 23, when 41 drones were destroyed and more than 200 flights were disrupted.
Ukraine has intensified drone strikes on Russian refineries, storage sites and export terminals, framing the campaign as part of a broader strategy to weaken the Kremlin’s war economy. Kyiv says the goal is to disrupt fuel supply chains for Russian forces and cut state revenues generated from oil exports.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said such operations will continue as long as Moscow continues waging war against Ukraine.
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