Russian Air Defenses Intercept Two Ukrainian Drones

Russian officials reported on Saturday that their air defenses successfully intercepted two drones, one approaching Moscow and the other near the Ukraine border.

Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, announced via Telegram, “Tonight, air defense forces destroyed a drone on approach to Moscow in the Istrinskii district.” He also noted that there were no initial reports of casualties or damage, and emergency services were responding to the scene.

While Moscow had remained relatively untouched during the early stages of the conflict, recent days have seen a surge in Ukrainian drone attacks targeting the city and other Russian regions. Kyiv has pledged to bring the conflict to Russia’s doorstep.

The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed the destruction of a second Ukrainian drone on Saturday, located in the Shebekino district of the Belgorod region, near the border. In a Telegram post, the ministry stated, “An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack with a drone on Russian territory has been thwarted.”

Earlier in the week, authorities had reported three civilian casualties resulting from actions by Kyiv’s forces in Belgorod. On the same day, a drone crashed into a Moscow business district skyscraper, breaking a window but causing no injuries. This marked the sixth consecutive night of drone strikes in the Moscow region.

The previous day, the Russian Defense Ministry disclosed that 42 drones had been downed over Crimea, a region annexed by Moscow from Ukraine in 2014.