Russian authorities report attempted drone attacks on Moscow and Rostov region

On the night of August 20, “a drone attempted to fly into Moscow from the south,” reported the city’s mayor Sergey Sobyanin. According to him, Russian air defenses stopped the attack.

Russia’s defense ministry said that a Ukrainian plane-type drone appeared over the Moscow region’s Stupinsky district at around 4:00 a.m. local time.

“The drone was suppressed by electronic warfare systems, and crashed into an unpopulated area after losing control. There was no damage or casualties,” the ministry stated.

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency said that flights into Vnukovo and Domodedovo airports were diverted to alternative airports on Sunday morning as a result of the attempted drone attack. All airports are now operating normally.

Governor of Rostov Vasily Golubev also reported an “attempted kamikaze drone attack.” According to him, the drones were targeted using electronic warfare systems. Air defense systems were not used.

“Two drones crashed into a military unit in Kamensk and another [crashed] one kilometer to the north of Novoshakhtinsk. The crashes did not cause any damage or casualties,” the governor added.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod, also reported that Russian air defenses shot down three airborne targets over Belgorod and the Belgorod region. No damage or casualties were reported.