Ukraine Launches Drone Attack On Moscow, Mayor: This Is One Of The Largest

JAKARTA - Ukraine launched one of the largest drone attacks ever in Moscow on Wednesday, the mayor said, with Russian air defense units destroying 11 unmanned aircraft flying to the capital.

Several drones were destroyed over the city of Podolsk, the city of Moscow, which is about 38 km (24 miles) south of the Kremlin, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

"This is one of the biggest attempts to attack Moscow using the drone ever," Sobyanin said on Telegram.

The attack comes as Russia struggles to push Ukrainian troops out of the Kursk region, two weeks after they broke through Russia's western border in the biggest invasion of Russia since the Second World War.

Sobyanin said, according to preliminary information, no injuries or damage were reported after the attack.

Ukraine has launched frequently one or two drone aircraft targeting Moscow in recent months, without causing any significant damage.

Wednesday's attack, however, appeared to be bigger than the May 2023 attack when at least eight drones were destroyed over the capital in an attack that President Vladimir Putin said was Kyiv's attempt to scare and provoke Russia.

Russian officials rarely disclosed the full size of the attack, only reporting drones destroyed by its air defense unit.

Both Ukraine and Russia are also rarely revealing the full extent of damage caused by their attacks, unless housing or civilian infrastructure is damaged, or civilians are killed.

The attack on Moscow this time was part of a broader Ukrainian drone strike against Russia, with the Russian Ministry of Defense saying its air defense unit also destroyed 23 drones over the Bryansk border area.

Six drones were destroyed over Belgorod, another Russian territory bordering Ukraine, three over the Kaluga region, which borders Moscow in its northeast, and two over the war-torn Kursk region, the ministry said.

"No casualties or damage was reported after an attack on the Bryansk border area in southwestern Russia," wrote Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the region on Telegram.

Russia's state news agency RIA also reported that two drones were destroyed in the Tula region, which borders the northern Moscow region.

Separately, Rostov Region Governor Vasily Golubev said air defense forces destroyed missiles launched by Ukraine in the region, without any reported injuries.

The Russian defense ministry did not mention Tula or Rostov in a statement including destroyed air weapons.

Kyiv has stepped up its airstrikes on Russian territory in recent months, saying its goal is to destroy infrastructure that is key to Moscow's war efforts.

It was also said in response to the continuing Russian attack on Ukrainian territory.