Dozens of Ukrainian drones targeted Moscow overnight on November 12 and 13, disrupting operations at major regional airports. Russian officials reported that air defense units intercepted over 100 drones bound for the capital between 9:34 p.m. and 2:08 a.m. local time. Mayor Sergey Sobyanin claimed that 105 unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down during the attack window. Emergency crews dispatched to areas impacted by falling drone wreckage, though no details regarding specific damages or casualties have been reported. The Kyiv Independent could not confirm Sobyanin’s claims at the time of publication, leaving the exact number of drones launched unknown since Russia only reports on intercepted targets.
Flight Restrictions and Operational Impact
Rosaviatsiya, the Federal Air Transport Agency, announced restrictions in flight operations at Sheremetyevo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports in Moscow Oblast. These facilities are accepting and dispatching flights subject to agreement with the relevant authorities due to temporary airspace restrictions in the region. The agency stated that all three airports operate under these constraints until further notice. This disruption follows a pattern of aviation interruptions over recent weeks caused by similar strikes. Flights at all four main airports were grounded during an overnight attack on October 23, when photos emerged showing debris from a downed drone on the tarmac at Sheremetyevo.
The current incident is part of a sustained campaign of large-scale drone attacks against the region. Ukraine launched a strike on a weapons plant in Moscow Oblast on October 22, where Sobyanin claimed over 600 drones were fired. Earlier in the month, on October 6, Ukraine allegedly fired 650 drones at the region, causing a fire at a major oil facility. Sobyanin described that October 6 event as the largest drone attack the region had seen in the past two years. The repeated grounding of flights highlights the persistent vulnerability of civilian infrastructure to these long-range strikes. No new casualty figures have been released for the November 12-13 incident, and airport authorities continue to coordinate with military units for clearance.
