Russia says hundreds of Ukrainian drones flew toward the Moscow region in little more than a day, in one of the largest such operations reported around the capital since the war began.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said 548 unmanned aerial vehicles flew toward the wider Moscow region between 8 a.m. on September 2 and noon on September 3.
Putin in December of 2023 Creative Commons Image
Putin Speaking in July 2026 Creative Commons Photo
“The majority were destroyed at distant frontiers,” Sobyanin wrote on Russia’s Max messaging service, according to TASS. “A total of 143 drones were destroyed as they approached Moscow.”
TASS described the operation as one of the largest attempted drone attacks on the Moscow region in two years.
The Russian figures have not been independently verified, and officials did not provide enough information about the drones’ flight paths or interception points to independently reconstruct the attack.
Moscow Region Governor Andrei Vorobyov said a drone struck an apartment building in Kubinka, around 37 miles west of Moscow, causing a fire on its eighth and ninth floors. Authorities evacuated ten people, with no casualties reported.
Another apartment building was damaged in Pavlovsky Posad, while a drone reportedly crashed at a factory in Bolshoye Bunkovo and started a fire.
Kubinka is also home to a major Russian military airfield.
Kyiv Post reported separately that monitoring channels showed an apparent fire at the Black Sea port of Sochi following another reported drone attack, although local Russian officials had not confirmed the strike at the time of publication.
Kyiv Issues Formal Aviation Warnings to ICAO
The latest attack came after Ukraine formally warned global aviation authorities that flying over Russia was becoming increasingly dangerous.
“Ukraine has officially notified ICAO that the Russian airspace is not safe for civilian aviation because of increased military activity,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said. “We urge everyone to avoid it.”
Kyiv has also asked the International Civil Aviation Organization to encourage its member states to bar civilian aircraft from operating in Russian airspace.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told airlines and insurers on September 1 that “Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe.”
In an official address, he stressed that Ukraine was not targeting civilian aircraft. “The war started by Russia is closing its own skies.”
On Wednesday, the ICAO said it had noted “heightened risks of civil aircraft being targeted or caught in crossfire.”
Flight Disruptions Mount Across Major Russian Hubs
Reuters reported Wednesday that flight-tracking data showed 21 canceled flights and 235 delays at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport, while Vnukovo recorded 22 cancellations and 94 delays.
Pegasus Airlines canceled six arrivals and departures at Vnukovo for “technical and operational” reasons.
Flydubai also told its passengers “some delays and diversions may occur.”
The bulk of American and European airlines stopped using Russian airspace after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Carriers from China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and other Gulf states have used Russian routes throughout the conflict, with Moscow claiming that they are safe.
Russia’s Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said: “We are constantly improving flight safety and airport security requirements.” He said Moscow would ensure that “any significant disruption to civil aviation” would be avoided.
The Russian aviation regulator Rosaviatsia similarly insisted that the country’s air transport system was carrying on as usual.
Strategic Implications and the Outlook for Negotiations
Sobyanin claimed this week that 8,670 drones flew toward the Moscow region during August alone, with 795 destroyed on approaches to the capital.
Ukraine has ramped up its use of domestically manufactured long-range drones against infrastructure deep within Russia’s borders.
Osprey Flight Solutions, an aviation risk firm, noted that attacks on sites near major air hubs like Moscow and St. Petersburg would likely continue throughout the year.
Is There ‘Chance’ of a Peace Deal?
Speaking Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said there was still a “chance” of a settlement. But he also described Ukraine’s warnings concerning civilian aircraft as “acts of state terrorism” that “complicate the prospects for bilateral peace talks.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly fears that ending the war in Ukraine without a victory could threaten his own position – even as mounting military and economic problems give the Kremlin reasons to seek a way out.
“They will hang me,” Putin told people around him at some point during the war, according to sources close to the Russian president cited by The Economist newspaper.
About The Author Georgia Gilholy
Georgia Gilholy is a journalist based in the United Kingdom who has been published in Newsweek, The Times of Israel, and the Spectator. Gilholy writes about international politics, culture, and education.
