Moscow drone attack: Sobyanin raises shot-down count to 144
Moscow's mayor said Russian air defences shot down 144 drones overnight, up from the 105 he initially reported, as the attack disrupted flights at the region's airports.
Update ·
Moscow mayor raises the number of drones he says were shot down overnight to 144, up from 105.
Dozens of Ukrainian drones attacked the Moscow region overnight from Thursday into Friday, disrupting flight operations at several of the area's main airports, Russian officials said, according to the Kyiv Independent. Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin initially said units intercepted more than 100 drones bound for the capital between 21:34 and 02:08 local time, then raised the figure to 144 shot down, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported.
Russian officials report only the drones they say were intercepted, so the number actually launched at Moscow overnight is not known, the Kyiv Independent reported. The broadcaster said it could not independently confirm Sobyanin's figures.
Russia's defence ministry separately claimed its forces shot down about 1,200 drones across the whole country overnight, a nationwide figure distinct from the Moscow-area count, Aftenposten reported, citing the ministry.
Emergency crews were sent to areas hit by falling drone debris in the Moscow region, Sobyanin said, without giving details of damage or casualties. Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, said it had restricted flight operations at Moscow 's Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports, which were accepting and dispatching flights only by agreement with the relevant authorities because of temporary airspace restrictions.
The attack took place on the day US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks with President Vladimir Putin on ending the war in Ukraine, Mediafax reported.
Ukrainian drone strikes have repeatedly disrupted Moscow-area aviation in recent weeks, the Kyiv Independent reported. Flights at all four of the capital's main airports were grounded during an overnight attack on 23 October, when photographs circulating on social media appeared to show drone wreckage on the tarmac at Sheremetyevo, Moscow's largest airport.
A night earlier, on 22 October, Ukraine launched a large-scale drone attack on the region that struck a weapons plant in Moscow Oblast, with Sobyanin saying more than 600 drones were launched that night. Sobyanin had also said the region suffered its largest drone attack in two years on 6 October, when Ukraine allegedly fired 650 drones, causing a fire at a major oil facility, the Kyiv Independent reported.
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What we know
- Official · Russian officials Dozens of Ukrainian drones attacked the Moscow region overnight into Friday, disrupting flights at several major airports, Russian officials said.
- Official · Sergey Sobyanin Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin raised his claimed shot-down count to 144 drones, up from the 105 he initially reported; the Kyiv Independent could not confirm this.
- Official · Russia's defence ministry Russia's defence ministry separately claimed about 1,200 drones were shot down nationwide overnight, a figure distinct from the Moscow-area count.
- Official · Rosaviatsiya Russia's Rosaviatsiya restricted flights at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports because of temporary airspace restrictions.
- Official · Sergey Sobyanin No casualty or damage details were given; emergency crews were sent to areas hit by falling drone debris, Sobyanin said.
- 1 outlet · Mediafax The attack took place as US envoys Witkoff and Kushner arrived in Moscow for talks with Putin, Mediafax reported.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Claims in this story
Claims tracker →- UnverifiedMoscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin· 13 Nov 2026
Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin says Russian air defences intercepted more than 100 drones, later 105, overnight.
- UnverifiedRussia's defence ministry· 13 Nov 2026
Russia's defence ministry claimed its forces shot down about 1,200 drones across the whole country overnight.
- UnverifiedSergey Sobyanin· 13 Nov 2026
Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin raised the number of intercepted drones bound for the capital to 144.
- UnverifiedRussia's defence ministry· 13 Nov 2026
Russia's defence ministry says its forces shot down about 1,200 drones nationwide overnight.
- UnverifiedMoscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin· 13 Nov 2026
Sergey Sobyanin says Russian air defences shot down 144 drones overnight bound for Moscow.
Why it matters for Europe
The overnight strikes are the latest in a run of Ukrainian drone attacks that have repeatedly disrupted Moscow-area aviation since October, including a 23 October attack that grounded flights at all four main airports and a 22 October strike on a weapons plant that Sobyanin said involved more than 600 drones, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Sobyanin said the region's largest drone attack in two years came on 6 October, when Ukraine allegedly fired 650 drones and caused a fire at a major oil facility, pointing to a pattern of attacks reaching deep into Russian territory.
Updates
·
Moscow mayor raises the number of drones he says were shot down overnight to 144, up from 105.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 13 reports from 12 independent outlets in 8 countries.
- Mediafax: Atac de amploare asupra Moscovei. Aeroporturile au fost închise
- The Kyiv Independent: Mass drone attack on Moscow grounds flights at region's airports
- Știripesurse: Atac masiv asupra Moscovei - Aeroporturile au fost închise
- Kronen Zeitung: Von Bombe zerfetzt - Explosionsserie von Autos erschüttert Russland
- Aftenposten: Ordfører: Over 100 droner skutt ned over Moskva
Source balance
PremiumSee how the 12 outlets behind this story spread from left to right, and which are official or OSINT sources.
Intelligence file
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Confidence and impact scores, 11 more sources, the full situation report and the event timeline.
Questions and answers
- What happened near Moscow?
- Dozens of Ukrainian drones attacked the region overnight, disrupting flights at several main airports; mayor Sergey Sobyanin said the number intercepted rose to 144, the Kyiv Independent reported.
- Were there casualties or damage?
- No details were given; emergency crews were sent to areas hit by falling drone debris, Sobyanin said, and no casualties have been confirmed.
- Is this part of a pattern?
- Yes. Ukrainian drones have disrupted Moscow-area flights several times since October, including attacks on 6, 22 and 23 October, the Kyiv Independent reported.
This article was written with AI assistance from 16 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.