Mass Drone Attack Reported Across Russia: Moscow Among Targets

Mass drone attack reported Across Russia: 193 UAVs allegedly shot down, Moscow among targets.

Russia has claimed that it repelled a massive overnight drone attack allegedly launched from Ukraine. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, air defense systems “intercepted and destroyed” a total of 193 unmanned aerial vehicles during the night of October 27.

The ministry stated that 34 drones were heading toward Moscow, while the rest were spread across 13 regions of the Russian Federation. The alleged attack was described by Russian media as one of the largest drone operations against Russian territory since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Smoke Over Moscow and Reports of a Strike

In Moscow, residents reported plumes of smoke rising over several districts during the night. Regional authorities in the Moscow Oblast claimed that one drone crashed into a residential building, causing minor structural damage. No casualties have been officially reported.

Emergency services were reportedly dispatched to the site, and the local governor stated that windows were shattered and balconies damaged in several apartments. Videos circulating on Russian social media channels showed smoke trails and small fires, although these materials could not be independently verified.

Restrictions at Major Airports

Russian civil aviation authorities temporarily restricted takeoffs and landings at Moscow’s Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, citing “security concerns” during the night. Flights resumed several hours later, but some delays and diversions were reported.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that air defense activity was particularly intense over the Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk, Tula, and Kaluga regions — all areas bordering or near Ukraine. The ministry claimed that no critical infrastructure was damaged and that “all threats to civilian objects were neutralized.”

However, local residents in several of these regions posted videos showing explosions, fires, and emergency vehicles on site. In Tula and Ryazan, regional officials confirmed damage to power lines and private homes, though they downplayed the overall impact.

Growing Frequency of Drone Strikes

Over the past months, Russian territory – including Moscow and several regions deep inside the country – has been increasingly targeted by drone attacks. The Kremlin routinely blames Ukraine for these incidents, though Kyiv rarely comments on operations beyond its internationally recognized borders.

Analysts believe that such drone operations are part of Ukraine’s asymmetric warfare strategy, aiming to pressure Russia’s defense capabilities, disrupt logistics, and force Moscow to spread its air defense resources thin across a wide territory.

While Ukraine officially focuses its military efforts on liberating occupied territories, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials have repeatedly emphasized that “the war must also return to Russia’s territory.”

No Comment from Kyiv

As of Saturday morning, Ukrainian officials have not issued any statements regarding the alleged overnight drone attack. The Ukrainian Air Force and Defense Intelligence have in the past neither confirmed nor denied involvement in similar strikes.

Meanwhile, pro-Russian Telegram channels described the night’s events as “a coordinated wave of attacks” and “the most intense drone assault” to date. Russian bloggers criticized the country’s air defense systems, questioning how drones could reach the capital and multiple regions despite the billions spent on military modernization.

The Expanding Drone War

Since mid-2023, both Russia and Ukraine have heavily invested in long-range UAV production and drone warfare technologies. Ukraine has repeatedly targeted oil depots, ammunition warehouses, and airbases across Russia’s western regions, often hundreds of kilometers from the front line.

Russia, in turn, continues to carry out massive air and drone strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, frequently resulting in civilian casualties and large-scale destruction.

The events of October 27 mark another escalation in this shadow war of drones — a technological front that now defines much of the modern conflict between the two countries.

EMPR