The capital region was subjected to a large-scale assault involving unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the night of Monday, October 27, 2025. This coordinated attack, which initially commenced on the evening of October 26, triggered a highly active response from Russian air defense systems (PVO). The defenses were mobilized swiftly to repel the significant wave of drones aimed at the metropolitan area.
Sergey Sobyanin, the Mayor of Moscow, provided continuous updates to the public concerning the developing situation. According to the figures released by the Mayor, air defense forces successfully neutralized 34 incoming drones specifically targeting Moscow between the late hours of October 26 and the early morning of October 27. This concentrated defensive effort was instrumental in protecting the city center from direct impact.
The threat was not confined solely to the capital. The Ministry of Defense of Russia issued a statement detailing the national scale of the operation, reporting that a total of 193 Ukrainian aircraft-type UAVs were intercepted across various regions of the country throughout the night. The statistics highlight areas facing the most intense pressure: 42 devices were shot down over the Kaluga region, 40 were destroyed above the Moscow region, and 32 were neutralized over the Tula region.
The necessity of neutralizing airborne threats in the immediate vicinity of the capital had direct implications for civil aviation. To guarantee the safety of passengers and aircraft during the intense defensive maneuvers, both Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports were temporarily forced to suspend their operations. Strict limitations were imposed on both the arrival and departure of aircraft. However, air traffic was fully reinstated by the morning of October 27, 2025, demonstrating a rapid normalization of services once the immediate danger had been mitigated. It was confirmed that several commercial flights were diverted to alternative airfields during the closure period.
Emergency response teams were quickly dispatched to the sites where debris landed, working efficiently to contain the consequences of the interceptions. Although Mayor Sobyanin confirmed the successful destruction of the UAVs, there were fortunately no reports of damage to infrastructure or injuries to civilians within the capital. Such incidents, which have been occurring over several consecutive days, serve as a stark reminder of the critical need for defense systems to maintain constant readiness and adapt to evolving external threats.
Further UAV activity was recorded in other parts of the nation, underscoring the widespread nature of the aerial assault. As noted by the Ministry of Defense, 32 apparatuses were destroyed over the Tula region. Furthermore, governmental authorities in other affected territories, including the Voronezh and Rostov regions, confirmed that the successful repulsion of the air attack resulted in zero casualties and no reported ground damage.