Moscow [Russia], May 23: Ukraine has bombarded Moscow airspace with hundreds of combat drones since Tuesday evening, though Russian authorities said on Thursday that 485 were intercepted.
The unmanned aircraft were keeping the capital and its surrounding area on edge. Russia's Defence Ministry said an especially high number of drones were shot down in the Moscow region but also in the areas to its south.
The military figures could not be independently verified but suggest almost continuous Ukrainian attacks. Despite the large number of deployed drones, the reported damage on the ground was minimal.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported throughout the afternoon that drones heading towards the capital had been shot down.
Flights at Moscow's airports were repeatedly suspended overnight, according to Russia's aviation authority. Temporary take-off and landing restrictions have become routine amid ongoing drone threats.
About three dozen flights were delayed, the authority said.
In the afternoon Rosaviatsiya again imposed restrictions on several regional airports.
In the Russian region of Bryansk, one person was killed and another injured in a Ukrainian drone attack, according to Governor Alexander Bogomaz. Andrei Klychkov, governor of the Oryol region south of Moscow, wrote on Telegram about "massive drone attacks."
Mobile internet was reportedly shut down Meanwhile, Russian forces launched their own wave of attacks on Ukraine. An 85-year-old woman was killed in the Kherson region during Russian shelling, according to military Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
The Ukrainian Air Force said that Russia deployed an Iskander-M missile and a total of 128 drones and decoys overnight. Of those, 112 drones were intercepted. The regions of Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv were among those targeted.
Ukraine has been fending off Russia's full-scale invasion for over three years, with support from Western allies. As part of its defence strategy, it strikes military and infrastructure targets inside Russia.
Source: Qatar Tribune