3 ay önce

Russia says it thwarted Ukraine's 'biggest ever drone raid on Moscow'

Defence Ministry says Russian forces destroy a total of 45 drones across several regions.

AP

In this photo released by Russian Defence Ministry Press Service, a Russian soldier operates a portable air defence missile at an undisclosed location. / Photo: AP

Russia has reported a massive Ukrainian drone attack near the capital Moscow, which local authorities described as "the biggest ever drone raid on Moscow".

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Wednesday that at least 11 drones were shot down by the Russian air defence systems on the approach to the capital.

The attack lasted four hours, from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. Moscow time (0000-0400 GMT), he added.

The Defence Ministry later confirmed that 45 drones were destroyed overnight across several Russian regions, including 11 over Moscow region, 23 over the border region of Bryansk, six over the Belgorod region, three over the Kaluga region and two over the Kursk region.

Three Moscow airports, including Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, halted operations late Tuesday night due to an air raid alert.

Ukraine has yet to respond to Russia's claims, while independent verification is challenging due to the ongoing conflict.