Russia says it downed 1,214 Ukrainian drones overnight, 231 of them near Moscow

Russia's overnight tally

Russia's Defense Ministry said its air defenses destroyed 1,214 Ukrainian drones over 19 regions overnight, the highest single-night figure since the war began in February 2022. The ministry announced the total in a social media statement and also claimed new drone strikes on port infrastructure and vessels in Ukraine, including one boat it said was carrying military and dual-use cargo for the armed forces. Ukraine's Air Force reported that it shot down 97 of the 112 drones launched by Russian forces overnight and confirmed hits at seven locations. No casualties or damage had been reported by the time of the update.

Moscow's count and the airports

Moscow mayor Sergei Sobianin first said 57 drones were heading for the capital, then raised the interception figure to 74 by about 02:15 local time. Alerts had sounded in the region around 22:00 on Wednesday, 28 October. In a later update covering the window from 20:30 on 28 October to 07:00 on 29 October, he said 613 drones had been directed at the Moscow region, with 231 destroyed as they approached the city. An update around 05:00 had put the number of drones downed overnight at 166. Rosaviatsia temporarily restricted arrivals and departures at Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, lifting the Zhukovsky restriction after about an hour, while the other two airports kept receiving aircraft under special procedures. Two planes flying from Turkey to Moscow were forced to turn back, according to Russian independent media citing TASS and air traffic data.

Strikes beyond the capital

Residents of Naro-Fominsk, roughly 56 kilometres south-west of the Moscow ring road, reported at least three explosions overnight. Other witnesses described repeated blasts from the direction of the Kaluga region. Those explosions have not been confirmed independently, and no damage or casualties were reported. Kaluga governor Vladislav Shapsha said 170 drones were downed in his region, while Tula governor Dmitri Miliayev reported 42 drones neutralised there. In Sterlitamak, in Bashkortostan, mayor Emil Shaimardanov said eight drones were downed and fragments fell on a company's territory, causing minor damage while production continued. The independent outlet Astra identified the site as the Bashkiria Soda Company, a large chemical plant that was also attacked in August.

Moscow area231

Kaluga region170

Tula region42

Sterlitamak, Bashkortostan8

Moscow area

231 drones

Kaluga region

170 drones

Tula region

42 drones

Sterlitamak, Bashkortostan

8 drones

Data from the article text

Summit and talks backdrop

The attacks came as Moscow hosted the third Russia-Africa summit, with delegations from 48 countries, 22 of them led by heads of state, according to the Kremlin. Thursday is the second day of the summit. Moscow and Kyiv are preparing to resume peace negotiations in November under US mediation, more than four and a half years after Russia's full-scale offensive began. In mid-September, Ukraine launched around 1,600 drones at the Moscow region, the largest one-day attack of its kind since the war began, according to Sobianin. On 23 October, operations at all four main Moscow airports were suspended temporarily, affecting hundreds of flights.