Mass drone attack on Moscow grounds flights at region's airports

Dozens of Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow over the weekend of November 12-13, causing disruptions to flight operations at several key airports in the region, according to Russian officials. Russian Mayor Sergey Sobyanin announced that Russian air defense units successfully intercepted over 100 drones aimed at the capital city between 9:34 p.m. and 2:08 a.m. local time.

As of now, Sobyanin has reported that 105 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) were brought down. Russian authorities only disclose the number of drones they claim were intercepted, so the total number of drones launched at Moscow remains unknown. Emergency services have been deployed to areas affected by falling drone debris, Sobyanin reported.

Specific damages or casualties have not been disclosed at this time. The accuracy of Sobyanin's claims has not been confirmed by the Kyiv Independent.

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, imposed temporary restrictions on flight operations at Moscow Oblast's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports. These airports are currently accepting and dispatching flights under the condition of agreement with the relevant authorities due to airspace restrictions in the region.

Ukrainian drone strikes have repeatedly hindered aviation operations over Moscow in recent weeks. An overnight attack on October 23 saw all four main airports grounded. Social media posts purportedly showed debris from a downed drone on Sheremetyevo's tarmac. The previous night, Ukraine launched a large-scale drone assault against the region, targeting a weapons plant in Moscow Oblast on October 22.

Sobyanin claimed that over 600 drones were launched at the region that night. Earlier in the month, Sobyanin reported that Moscow Oblast faced the largest drone attack the area had seen in the past two years, with Ukraine allegedly firing 650 drones at the region on October 6, leading to a fire at a major oil facility.