Aug. 20 (UPI) — Russian forces overnight and into Wednesday were repelling a Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow that officials say is among the largest to target the capital city amid the war.
A dozen drones launched toward Moscow were downed by Russia’s air defense forces, according to the city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, though it was unclear how many in total were launched.
“This is one of the most massive attempts to attack Moscow using drones to date,” he said on the Telegram social media platform. “We continue to monitor the situation.”
He said two drones were shot down early Wednesday after 10 were destroyed overnight.
“The Ministry of Defense’s air defense systems continue to repel an attack by enemy drones,” he said.
According to preliminary reports, there were no casualties or damage caused by falling debris.
Ukraine has launched drone attacks on Moscow before, including in May of 2023 when Russia shot down eight of Kyiv’s unmanned aerial vehicles that the Kremlin described as a “terrorist attack” targeting the city and which resulted in several buildings sustaining damages.
The Wednesday drone attack appeared to be part of a larger assault that included some 18 drones targeting Bryansk Oblast, which borders Ukraine and is about 370 miles southwest of Moscow.
Bryansk Gov. Alexander Bogomaz said on Telegram that there does not appear to be any damages incurred from the attack nor casualties.
The attacks come as Ukraine continues its cross-border advance into Russia’s Kursk region.
The operation was launched Aug. 6, and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine has described it as a mission to create a “buffer zone” with Russia.