Moscow claims it downed 24 Ukrainian drones in attacks on multiple Russian regions

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Moscow claimed early Sunday that it had shot down a total of 24 Ukrainian drones in three separate attacks in multiple Russian regions.

An initial Russian Defense Ministry statement claimed that Ukraine tried to attack targets in the capital Moscow plus the Tula, Kaluga and Bryansk regions, during which the country’s air defense systems downed 11 aircraft-type drones.

Another statement claimed that air defense systems destroyed an additional nine drones over the same four regions.

The ministry claimed in a later statement that four more drones were downed over the regions of Bryansk, Smolensk, and Tula.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement on Telegram that there were no casualties in the capital.

Meanwhile, Russian state news agency TASS reported that operations in Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Vnukovo – all in Moscow – resumed normally after restrictions were implemented earlier in the day.

Elsewhere, the Tula region’s account on Russian social network VK said that one person was injured due to debris from a drone that was downed.

Ukrainian officials have not yet commented on the claim, and independent verification of Russia’s claim is difficult due to the ongoing war, which began in February 2022.​​​​​​​