Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin stated on his Telegram channel that between October 10 and 17, air defense forces neutralized 2,730 Ukrainian drones heading toward the Moscow region. According to him, the majority of the drones were destroyed at long range, while 534 units were neutralized directly on their approach to the capital. The statement came amidst another collapse in Moscow airport operations linked to the drone raids.
Daily dynamics: interception numbers on the rise
Sobyanin emphasized that the number of drones heading toward Moscow increased daily. The mayor did not provide a daily breakdown, but the total figure of 2,730 units over seven days represents an average of about 390 drones per day aimed exclusively at the capital region. He assessed this as evidence of targeted and increasing activity by the Ukrainian Defense Forces against Moscow and surrounding areas.
Russian Defense Ministry: over 4500 UAVs across all regions
The Russian defense department, in turn, reported the interception of over 4,500 Ukrainian drones in the skies over various regions of the country during the same week. On the night of October 10, according to the Defense Ministry, air defense and electronic warfare forces neutralized 560 units, and another 78 by the end of the day. On October 11, the destruction of 591 drones was announced, 184 on October 12, and 674 on October 13. On the night of October 14, the ministry reported the interception of 902 UAVs. On October 15, the numbers were 153, on October 16 — 691, and on the morning of October 17 — another 610 drones. Considering Sobyanin's data, it appears that the Moscow region accounted for more than half of all drones reported intercepted by Russian authorities during this period.
Airport collapse and attacks on refineries
These official statements come as Moscow's three largest airports—Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Vnukovo—have been non-operational for the second consecutive day. Delays and cancellations are due to airspace restrictions imposed in response to the drone attack threat. Furthermore, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak publicly confirmed a Ukrainian attack on the Saratov and Ryazan oil refineries. On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry reported the destruction of 91 drones in those specific regions.
Context: one of the largest attacks on the capital
As previously reported by RBC-Ukraine, Ukraine has carried out one of the largest-scale attacks on the Russian capital in recent weeks. The combined use of thousands of strike drones against Moscow and other regions simultaneously, according to Ukrainian sources, is intended to overwhelm air defense systems and inflict damage on critical infrastructure. Russian authorities emphasize the effectiveness of their interception systems and note that the vast majority of devices are destroyed before reaching their targets. Independent verification of the claimed numbers for intercepted drones is currently not possible for either side of the conflict.
