Huge fires erupted in the Moscow region as officials claimed that the Russian capital and surrounding area were hit by a drone strike.
Sergei Sobyanin, the mayor of Moscow, wrote on Telegram on November 10: “The air defence forces of the Ministry of Defense in the Ramenskoye urban district repelled an attack by two drones flying to Moscow.
“According to preliminary data, there is no damage or casualties at the site of the fall of the debris. Emergency services specialists are working at the scene.”
He later reported that numerous drones were shot down by Russian forces and that emergency services were responding at the scene.
Astra, an independent Russian news outlet, shared several pictures and clips on its Telegram channel showing orange flames spreading in light of the attacks, while witnesses looked on.
The news outlet commented on one of its clips, showing massive flames rising from an area in a rural village near Moscow: “Two residential buildings are burning at the site of the drone attack in Sofyino, Moscow Region, eyewitnesses report.”
Reuters reports that Ukraine is behind the major drone attack on Moscow as the war between the two countries continues. Kyiv rarely claims responsibility for attacks on Russia carried out outside of its internationally-recognised borders, which include Crimea.
Rosaviatsia, Russia’s federal air transport agency, said on Telegram that “to ensure the safety of civil aircraft flights, temporary restrictions have been introduced on the operation of the Domodedovo and Zhukovo airports.”
There also appears to have been Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia’s Kaluga and Bryansk regions overnight, as local governors report similar scenes to the ones reported in Moscow.
Alexander Bogomaz, governor of the Russian border region of Bryansk, said: “Emergency services and firefighters are on the site.”
Vladislav Shapsha, governor of the Kaluga, which borders the Moscow oblast, said a non-residential building was up in flames after the strikes.
Ukraine has launched numerous drone strikes on Russian towns and cities during the course of the war.
This comes in response to Russia’s relentless airstrikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructure.
