At least 85 UAVs were neutralized on approach to the Russian capital, Sergey Sobyanin has said
More than 400 Ukrainian drones were launched toward the Moscow Region overnight in one of the largest raids on the Russian capital to date, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.
Russian air defenses detected the incoming UAVs between 8:30pm on Sunday and 5am on Monday, Sobyanin wrote on social media. Most were intercepted far from the capital, while another 85 were destroyed as they approached Moscow, he said.
“Most were neutralized by air-defense forces at distant approaches. Eighty-five UAVs were destroyed on approach to Moscow,” the mayor said, adding that emergency crews were working at sites where debris had fallen.
The extent of any damage caused by the overnight barrage was not immediately clear. Six people suffering from blast injuries were admitted to a hospital in the Moscow Region, although it had not been established whether their injuries were connected to the drone raid, according to media reports.
The latest attack followed several massive Ukrainian drone raids on Moscow and surrounding areas last week. Sobyanin said that 1,892 UAVs had been launched toward the region between July 11 and 18, with most intercepted at long range and 207 destroyed closer to the capital.
During one overnight attack alone, more than 370 drones flew toward the Moscow Region.
The same wave of strikes hit two logistics centers operated by Russian online retailer Wildberries in Kotovsk, Tambov Region, and Elektrostal, near Moscow. The attacks killed eight people and injured dozens, according to regional officials.
Wildberries, often called the Russian version of Amazon, is one of the country’s most popular online retailers. Kiev confirmed that it had deliberately targeted the warehouses, claiming they stored components used in drone and navigation equipment.
Ukraine has sharply intensified its long-range drone campaign in recent weeks, targeting oil facilities, warehouses, residential buildings, and other infrastructure deep inside Russian territory. Moscow has described the raids as terrorist attacks on civilians and says its retaliatory strikes are directed at Ukrainian military and defense-related facilities.
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