Russia says it downed 1,214 Ukrainian drones overnight, 613 of them aimed at the Moscow region; Ukraine says it hit a drone base in Bryansk and two Su-34 jets

Claims by Russia and Ukraine about strikes and battlefield events cannot be independently confirmed.

Russia’s defence ministry said on Thursday 29 October that its air defences “intercepted and destroyed 1,214 Ukrainian fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles” over 20 Russian regions overnight, Anadolu Agency reported. Ukraine had not commented on the figure in the reports cited.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 613 drones targeted the capital region and that 231 were destroyed on the approach to the city, with most of the rest brought down on “distant approaches”. Russia’s aviation authority Rosaviatsia said it temporarily restricted flights at Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports; the restrictions were later lifted. TASS, citing an air traffic control source, said two flights from Istanbul turned back.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was “very strange” for Kyiv to target Moscow while the city was hosting African leaders for a summit, TASS reported, according to Al Jazeera. In Bashkortostan, the mayor of Sterlitamak said debris from downed drones caused minor damage at an industrial site.

Ukraine’s General Staff said its forces struck a Russian base used to launch long-range drones near Navlya in Bryansk region, about 70 km from the border, damaging storage for Geran-type drones and fuel, The Kyiv Independent reported. Ukraine’s navy said a Neptune missile strike destroyed two Su-34 fighter-bombers at Marinovka airfield in Russia’s Volgograd region. Russia had not commented on those claims in the reports cited.

Background

Both countries have increased long-range drone attacks in recent months, while preparing for US-mediated talks. See also: Russian drone strike on Dnipro railway station.