Russia says dozens of Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow as broader attack hit multiple regions

On September 20, Russian officials reported that Ukrainian drones had been intercepted en route to Moscow, as part of a wider attack that had targeted numerous regions across the country overnight. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced that 76 drones had been shot down, with emergency crews responding to areas where the drones had crashed.

No further specifics were provided. In response, Russian aviation authorities briefly halted operations at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports near Moscow due to safety concerns. The accuracy of these claims has yet to be confirmed. This follows Russia's Defense Ministry's earlier statement that its air defenses had destroyed 288 Ukrainian drones between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. on September 19 in the Moscow region, as well as in occupied Crimea and the Black Sea.

The ministry listed the regions hit, which included Belgorod, Kursk, Bryansk, Kaluga, Oryol, Tula, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, and Vladimir, along with the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, occupied Crimea, and the Black Sea. Russian authorities also noted temporary flight restrictions at additional airports, such as Saratov, as the attacks persisted.