Unprecedented air strike: 555 drones shot down over Russian regions, paralyzing Moscow airports
Last night, Russian regions suffered a record-breaking attack. A total of 555 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were intercepted and destroyed in the skies above the country, which may be the highest number since the start of the full-scale military invasion of Ukraine (the so-called "SVO"). The main target was the capital region, where drone debris fell on residential areas and large retail facilities. Meanwhile, Ukrainian territory came under intense shelling, where numerous destruction and casualties were also reported.
Transport collapse in Moscow and attacks on shopping centers
Moscow and the Moscow region suffered the most massive and destructive aerial attacks. According to an official statement from Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, air defense forces had intercepted 194 drones over these areas by morning.
Due to a critical air threat, Rosaviatsiya was forced to urgently close all Moscow airports for arrivals and departures. The air blockade caused a massive disruption to civil aviation schedules: at least 62 flights were delayed at Sheremetyevo, 63 at Vnukovo, and another 48 at Domodedovo.
In several cities in the Moscow region, direct hits by enemy drones on apartment buildings were recorded, as well as debris falling on private property. Furthermore, fragments of downed drones fell on commercial buildings.
In particular, buildings at popular shopping centers and fitness clubs were damaged. Fires broke out at the largest market complexes—the Sadovod Shopping Center in Moscow and the Belaya Dacha Shopping Center in Lyubertsy, Moscow Region. There have been no reports of injuries among shoppers or staff at this time, but eyewitnesses are actively posting videos of the morning arrivals on social media.
Fires and injuries in the Belgorod region
The situation in the border region remains tense. In the Belgorod region, near Shebekino, a massive fire broke out as a result of the detonation of explosive devices at a warehouse storing flammable and combustible materials. On the outskirts of Shebekino, a car driver was injured. Another emergency occurred in the village of Oktyabrsky: a local resident sustained a shrapnel wound to the head when an incoming drone exploded.
Retaliatory strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure: there are casualties
Ukraine also found itself under massive, mirror-like shelling overnight. Missile and drone strikes on six Ukrainian regions killed at least three people, and another 14 civilians were injured to varying degrees.
According to local administrations in the Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Poltava regions, numerous destructions of civilian residential buildings, industrial enterprises, social infrastructure facilities, and critical energy hubs have been recorded.
