Ukraine launches biggest drone attack on Russian capital

Ukraine has launched its largest attack on Moscow since the start of the war, disrupting flights at two airports in the Russian capital.

A total of 34 drones were launched in the direction of Moscow, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. Russia’s air defenses shot down all of the drones over the Moscow region between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Sunday morning, according to the Russian MOD.

The UAVs were shot down over the Moscow regions of Ramenskoye, Kolomna and Domodedovo, Andrey Vorobyov, governor of Moscow region, said.

Shrapnel from the falling drones caused two houses in Ramenskoye to catch fire. A woman, 52, was injured by the shrapnel and taken to hospital with “burns to her face, neck and hands,” Vorobyov said, adding that the woman is in intensive care.

Sunday’s attack forced the “temporary restrictions” of flights on Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, two airports serving the Moscow region, from just after 8 a.m. local time, Russian state media agency TASS reported, citing Russia’s federal air transport agency. Restrictions were lifted at just after 10 a.m. local time.

The previous largest drone attack on Moscow was in September, when Russia said it destroyed at least 20 Ukrainian attack drones. In that attack, at least one person was killed near Moscow, Russian authorities said. Three of Moscow’s four airports were closed for more than six hours and almost 50 flights were diverted.