Russian Air Defences Thwart Major Ukrainian Drone Attack

Russian air defenses successfully intercepted four Ukrainian drones headed towards Moscow on Saturday, the city's Mayor reported. The situation led to temporary halts in outgoing flights at one of the capital's primary airports.

Mayor Sergei Sobyanin confirmed the deployment of emergency services at the sites where the drones were downed, though he did not disclose any potential damage. A statement from Russia's Defense Ministry on Telegram reported that air defense units destroyed a total of 48 Ukrainian drones just over five hours extending into Saturday evening. The intercepted drones included five near Moscow, with two targeting the capital directly.

The Defense Ministry further detailed that 17 drones were intercepted over the Bryansk Region along the Ukrainian border and 11 in the neighboring Oryol Region. The Belgorod Region Governor reported injuries to a bus driver and another motorist due to four drones. Earlier, the Defense Ministry said that 94 drones had been neutralized over Russia overnight, with an additional 45 during a six-hour span in the day. Due to these threats, Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport faced departure delays while Rosaviatsiya reported temporary halts at airports in multiple Russian cities, citing airspace restrictions and strong winds as precautionary measures.

(With inputs from agencies.)