War

Moscow attacked by over 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, mayor says

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Moscow attacked by over 35 Ukrainian drones overnight, mayor says
Russian police officers guard Red Square in front of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on May 3, 2023. (Contributor / Getty Images)

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russian air defenses shot down over 35 drones headed toward the Russian capital on the night of March 16-17, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed.

Sobyanin reported that swarms of Ukrainian drones were intercepted beginning around 10 p.m. local time, lasting into the early morning. As of 6:15 a.m. Moscow time, 39 drones have allegedly been downed.

Emergency crews have been dispatched to the crash sites, and no casualties or damage have been reported.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports at the time of publication.

The latest drone swarms on the Russian capital comes amid an apparent increase in attacks on Moscow in recent day. Sobyanin claimed on March 16 that over 250 drones, not including the latest totals, had shot down over Moscow's sky since March 14.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on the latest round of attacks.

Ukraine regularly launches drone attacks against military and industrial facilities in Russia.

Drone strikes on Moscow have been reported on several occasions, though the capital is well-defended against aerial threats. Many of these attacks have triggered temporary airport closures, which Ukrainian officials previously have said is part of a strategy to return the Kremlin's war home to the Russian population.


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Dmytro Basmat

Senior News Editor

Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.

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