Russia Claims Ukraine Attacks Moscow Again With Drones

Illustration of the Russian air defense system. (Wikimedia Commons/Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation)

JAKARTA - Ukraine returned to attack Moscow with drones on Tuesday night or the third time in a row, disrupting air traffic around the Russian capital, Russian authorities said late Tuesday.

Russia's Defense Ministry said in a statement its air defense unit destroyed 57 Ukrainian drones within three hours, starting at 17.00 GMT on Monday, including four in Moscow and eight in neighboring areas.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said via the Telegram messaging application emergency services had been sent to the crash site of the drone heading to Moscow.

There have been no reports of direct damage. Russia usually provides limited details about the impact of Ukrainian attacks on its territory, unless civilians or civilian infrastructure are affected.

Meanwhile, Russian aviation watchdog Rosaviatsiya said two of the four Moscow airports, Domodedovo Airport and Zhukovsky Airport, were temporarily closed for security reasons.

During the previous two nights, Russian units destroyed 35 Ukrainian drones in Moscow, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. No damage was reported.

Kyiv has continued to launch long-range drone attacks on Moscow and other Russian territory in recent months, saying its goal was to attack military and industrial assets, draining the Russian war economy, pointing to Moscow that the conflict was imminent.