Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, announced on Thursday morning that over 600 drones had been launched towards the Moscow region on the second day of the Russia-Africa summit being held in the Russian capital, according to reports from France Presse and Kyiv Independent.
Between October 28 at 8:30 PM and October 29 at 7:00 AM, 613 drones were directed towards Moscow. Most were neutralized at a distance by the Ministry of Defense’s air defense systems, Sobyanin stated on his Telegram account.
Additionally, 231 drones were destroyed as they approached Moscow, the mayor added.
The city is hosting the third Russia-Africa summit, which began on Wednesday and includes delegations from 48 countries, with 22 led by their heads of state, according to the Kremlin.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency, Rosaviatsiya, has imposed temporary restrictions on arrivals and departures at three Moscow airports—Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky—citing air safety concerns.
Restrictions at Zhukovsky airport were lifted an hour later, while Vnukovo and Domodedovo continued to receive aircraft under special procedures.
Two aircraft flying from Turkey to Moscow were forced to return due to the restrictions at Vnukovo.
This drone attack occurs as Moscow and Kyiv prepare to resume peace negotiations in November, mediated by the United States, more than four and a half years after the onset of the large-scale Russian offensive in Ukraine.
In recent months, both countries have escalated drone and missile strikes, resulting in casualties on both sides.
In mid-September, Ukraine launched approximately 1,600 drones towards the Moscow region, marking the largest attack of its kind in a single day since the war began, according to Sobyanin.
