Moscow—Russian air defenses downed two attack drones near Moscow, the city’s mayor said on Tuesday, in the fifth consecutive night of strikes on the capital region.
Moscow and Kyiv have reported regular drone incursions during the conflict, with strikes on Russian territory becoming increasingly regular.
“Air defense shot down two attack drones. One in the Krasnogorsk area, the other in the Chastsy area,” said Sergei Sobyanin on Telegram, adding that emergency services were responding.
He did not give details on damage or casualties.
Russia’s defense ministry reported two Ukrainian drones had been downed over the Moscow region, adding there had been no casualties.
Unverified video posted on social media purporting to show the aftermath of a strike in Krasnogorsk showed dozens of people gathered in a street lined by high-rise buildings
Video published by the RIA Novosti news agency showed debris littering the ground in Krasnogorsk, including what its correspondent said were fragments of a drone.
The facade and windows of a 25-story building were damaged as well as a number of cars parked nearby, they said.
The area had been cordoned off.
Air traffic at Moscow’s Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo airports had been briefly halted, the TASS news agency earlier quoted an aviation service source as saying.
Sheremetyevo and Domodedovo later resumed receiving flights, TASS said.
The Moscow region has been the target of drone strikes as Ukraine pushes on with its grinding counteroffensive.
Two drone attacks were repelled over Moscow’s financial district, each causing minor damage to the facades of high-rise buildings.
In May, drones were shot down near the Kremlin.
Two Ukrainian drones were also downed over the Bryansk region near the Ukrainian border early Tuesday, Moscow’s defense ministry said on Telegram, adding there were no casualties.
Late Monday Moscow’s defense ministry said its forces downed two Ukrainian drones over the Black Sea 40 kilometers northwest of the Crimean peninsula.
Russian teenagers will learn how to operate and counter military drones in the upcoming school year, according to a curriculum published Monday by the education ministry.
Moscow announced last November it was re-introducing Soviet-style military training for children from 2023, as it presses ahead with its nearly 18-month offensive in Ukraine.
The drone course, which will be offered to pupils aged 15 to 17, comes as Russian territory is targeted by almost daily Ukrainian drone attacks and as their use becomes pivotal in the conflict. AFP