Russian Air Defenses Intercept Drones Approaching Moscow

Russian air defenses intercepted a large-scale drone attack targeting Moscow overnight from Wednesday, October 28, into Thursday, October 29. Sergei Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, reported that air defense systems downed between 30 and 74 drones. While some reports cited 74 interceptions, others indicated approximately 30 drones were downed alongside additional groups of 10 and 15.

Residents in Naro-Fominsk, located southwest of the capital, reported hearing explosions during the engagement. The attack prompted the Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, to impose temporary flight restrictions at Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports.

Flight restrictions at Zhukovsky were lifted within an hour, but Vnukovo and Domodedovo continued to operate under special coordination procedures. These disruptions forced two aircraft arriving from Turkey to turn back.