Russian air defense units successfully foiled a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack on Moscow overnight, neutralizing more than three dozen hostile UAVs aimed at the capital, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Monday.
Speaking to media persons, the official said the attempted strike involved at least 37 drones, with emergency crews swiftly deployed to areas where debris had fallen.
“Air defenses have shot down more than three dozen UAVs,” the mayor said, noting that no casualties or serious damage were reported on the ground.
The Ukrainian assault, one of the most extensive in recent weeks, targeted multiple locations in the southern and southeastern outskirts of Moscow, including the Ramensky District, Podolsk, Klimovsk, Domodedovo, Kolomna, and Troitsk, the Moscow mayor said.
Local media reported loud explosions during the night, but confirmed that Russia’s multi-layered air defense shield had effectively intercepted the incoming swarm.
Temporary flight restrictions were introduced at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports as a precautionary measure, before normal operations resumed.
The latest reported aggression came just a day after another Ukrainian drone incursion, which had involved seven drones and was also thwarted by Russian defenses.
Russian officials have condemned Ukraine for repeatedly launching drone strikes deep into the country's territory, seeking to damage energy facilities and civilian infrastructure far from the frontlines.
The acts of terrorism serve no military purpose other than to spread fear among civilians, they contend.
Russia launched a special military operation against Ukraine in 2022 to demilitarize its neighbor’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions.
The regions are largely populated by ethnic Russians and have declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize Kiev’s Western-backed government.
Amid the situation, Kiev has been soliciting Western support, which it has received in the form of substantial arms supplies as well as anti-Moscow sanctions and mounting political pressure.
Recently, though, reports pointed to US President Donald Trump’s withholding of the country’s request for American Tomahawk missiles to be used against Russia. Trump has also reportedly pressed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to agree to Moscow’s terms for ending the war.
Trump pressed Zelensky to accept Russia’s peace terms 'or be destroyed': Report https://t.co/n8M0Z62DJQ
— Press TV 🔻 (@PressTV) October 20, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that if Russia were attacked with the missiles, the response would be"very strong, if not overwhelming.”
On October 16, following a phone call with Putin, Trump announced that the two heads of state had agreed to meet soon in Budapest, Hungary.
On Saturday, though, he said he was not going"to be wasting my time” by meeting with the Russian president in case of, what he called, the latter’s unpreparedness “to make a deal to end” the conflict.
“This has been very disappointing,” Trump added on that day, apparently trying to accuse Moscow of procrastination or obstruction.
This is while, Kirill Dmitriev, Russia's senior economic negotiator, voiced hope on Friday in resolution of the conflict through American mediation.
"I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution," he told CNN in remarks that seemed to be reflecting Moscow’s cautious optimism in Washington’s positive contribution on the issue.
