Moscow Says 8,670 Ukrainian Drones Targeted Region in August as 795 Were Downed Near Capital
Updated
Updated · The Moscow Times · Sep 2
Moscow Says 8,670 Ukrainian Drones Targeted Region in August as 795 Were Downed Near Capital
3 articles · Updated · The Moscow Times · Sep 2
Summary
8,670 Ukrainian drones flew toward the Moscow region between Aug. 1 and Sept. 1, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said, describing nearly a month of sustained pressure on the Russian capital.
795 drones were destroyed on approach to Moscow, while Sobyanin said air defenses intercepted the vast majority before they reached the outskirts; he gave no count for drones that penetrated defenses or any casualty and damage figures.
Aug. 18 was among the heaviest single assaults since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, with nearly 650 drones launched at Moscow in one night, according to Sobyanin.
The tally came a day after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainian drones had effectively closed Russian airspace, and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told the ICAO that Russia's skies are unsafe for commercial flights.
Russia's transport minister, Andrei Nikitin, said civil aviation authorities were working with the military to avoid major disruption to domestic air travel, underscoring the widening impact beyond battlefield targets.