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Russia intercepts drone attack on Moscow, prompting flight disruptions and emergency response

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Russia intercepts drone attack on Moscow, prompting flight disruptions and emergency response
Electronic board of departures of planes at Sheremetyevo airport, check-in counter with passengers in Moscow, Russia on January 13, 2024 (Natalia Kokhanova via Getty)

Russian air defenses intercepted a drone attack on Moscow on May 21, according to the city’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin and state-controlled media, prompting temporary air traffic disruptions at major airports.

As of 5 p.m. local time, Sobyanin claimed seven drones to be intercepted as they approached the Russian capital. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene of the debris fall.

Ukraine hasn't commented on the alleged attack.

Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency Rosaviatsiya announced that temporary flight restrictions were imposed at Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports. At Sheremetyevo, Moscow's busiest international airport, temporary restrictions were reimposed for the second time, according to Russian media.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not released further details. No casualties or damage were reported.

Moscow and surrounding regions have faced a growing number of Ukrainian drone incursions in recent months amid Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

Russian semiconductor plant making missile, jet parts hit in Ukrainian attack, military says
Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces struck Russia’s Bolkhov semiconductor plant in Oryol Oblast, which is producing parts for Sukhoi warplanes and Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said on May 21.
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Anna Fratsyvir

Assistant Opinion Editor

Anna Fratsyvir is an assistant opinion editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, and as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

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