Massive Drone Attack On Russia: Moscow Has Suspended All Flights

Strikes have been reported in the regions.

The night of October 16 turned out to be extremely turbulent for many regions of Russia: due to large-scale attack by strike drones over most of the aggressor country’s European territory, a no-fly zone for civilian aviation was effectively established. In addition, the drone strikes caused destruction and fires at industrial facilities in several Russian regions at once. This is reported by independent Russian media outlets, in particular ASTRA, citing data from the flight-tracking service Flightradar24 and statements by local authorities.

How many drones, according to Sobyanin, attacked Moscow

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin repeatedly reported on the operations of Russia’s air defense system throughout the evening of October 15 and the night of October 16.

In his first post, published at 11:16 p.m., he claimed that ten drones flying toward the Russian capital had been destroyed. At 11:39 p.m., the official reported another 11 drones, and at 11:54 p.m.—16 more.

After midnight, Sobyanin continued to provide updates on the air defense operations. At 12:15 a.m., he reported the destruction of another 12 drones, and at 12:50 a.m.—another ten.

Thus, according to the mayor’s calculations, by 12:50 a.m., Russian air defense had allegedly destroyed 59 drones that were heading exclusively toward Moscow.

At 3:21 a.m., Sobyanin reported that another 20 drones had been destroyed. He also noted that emergency services were working at the crash sites.

Despite the authorities’ assurances of “no damage,” local residents widely shared footage on social media of massive fires and explosions in the Moscow region. As of now, information on the full extent of the damage in the Moscow region has not been released.

Four airports in Moscow have suspended operations

On the evening of October 15, drones began striking Moscow and the Moscow region. As a result, according to the online flight tracking service Flightradar24, civilian aircraft began to avoid the central and western parts of Russia en masse—the airspace over this territory was completely empty.

Due to a threat to flight safety, Rosaviatsiya has imposed temporary restrictions at all major airports in the Moscow region: Vnukovo, Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky. This has led to disruptions in air traffic to the Russian capital.

More than 20 passenger planes headed for the capital of the aggressor country had to be urgently diverted to alternate airports in other cities.

Rostov Region

The drone attack also spread to the Rostov Region. The region’s governor, Yuri Slyusar, reported that the Aksai and Chertkovsky districts, as well as the city of Bataysk, were targeted. According to him, the strikes caused fires to break out in industrial and warehouse facilities, and one local resident was injured. The official stated that medical personnel provided the victim with all necessary care, but he did not specify the severity of the injuries.

“As a result of the UAV strikes, production and warehouse facilities were damaged. A fire broke out,” Slyusar also stated.

According to Slyusar, the attack damaged production and warehouse facilities, caused a fire, and resulted in one injury

Yaroslavl Region

Another region where a threat from attack drones was reported was the Yaroslavl Region. Due to the threat of drone attacks, traffic was blocked on the road leading out of Yaroslavl toward Moscow. This was reported by the region’s governor, Mikhail Evraev, on his Telegram channel. According to him, traffic was restricted on the section from the intersection of Moskovsky Prospekt and the Southwestern Ring Road. The official urged local residents to refrain from traveling in that direction and through the surrounding areas.

Earlier, authorities declared a “red” alert level in the region due to the threat posed by drones. Regional Governor Mikhail Evraev urged residents to stay away from open areas, close their windows, and remain indoors away from windows.

At approximately 3:42 a.m., Evraev stated that eight drones had allegedly been destroyed in the region using electronic warfare systems. According to him, there were no casualties or injuries, but the threat of a drone attack persisted. At the same time, traffic restrictions in Yaroslavl were lifted, and traffic toward Moscow resumed. There was no independent confirmation of the Russian authorities’ claims regarding the number of drones destroyed.

Vladimir, Smolensk, and Ryazan Regions

Residents of the cities of Vladimir, Smolensk, and Ryazan also reported a series of loud explosions, intense air defense activity, and strikes on industrial facilities.

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