Asger Risom
Airports near Moscow were briefly shut down on Wednesday as Russia reported a massive drone attack by Ukrainian forces. The Kremlin says over 260 drones were intercepted.
As the war in Ukraine grinds into its fourth year, the battle for airspace is intensifying. On Wednesday, Russia claimed to have shot down at least 262 Ukrainian drones, in what it described as one of the largest single-day assaults to date.
While most of the unmanned aerial vehicles were intercepted over border regions, a few reached the skies near Moscow, prompting a short suspension of flights at the capital’s three major airports, according to HotNews.ro.
Moscow on Alert as Drone Warfare Escalates
No casualties were reported, but the sheer scale of the operation highlights how drone warfare has transformed the conflict.
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow said the majority of drones were intercepted in Russia’s western and central regions, while a handful breached airspace close to the capital, home to over 20 million people.
In response, flights were temporarily grounded at Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Vnukovo airports, though normal operations resumed shortly after.
The incident follows a growing pattern of long-range drone raids that disrupt Russian logistics and demonstrate Ukraine’s evolving capabilities.
Ukraine Strikes Key Military Supplier
Ukrainian forces reportedly used drones to strike the Bolkhovsky Semiconductor Plant in the Oryol region—a critical supplier to Russia’s missile and fighter jet industries.
While Kyiv hasn’t officially confirmed the hit, the attack marks a continued effort to target Russia’s military supply chain deep behind the front lines.
Both Russia and Ukraine have invested heavily in developing new drone platforms, adapting civilian tech for battlefield use, and devising novel countermeasures—from electronic jamming systems to repurposed hunting rifles.
Conflicting Reports from the Front
As Russia touted advances between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka in the Donetsk region, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acknowledged that intense fighting continued near Pokrovsk.
He made no mention of territorial losses but emphasized that Ukrainian units remain active inside Russian border regions, specifically Kursk and Belgorod.
Despite bold claims from both sides, many of the latest battlefield developments remain unverifiable. Independent observers, including Reuters, have yet to confirm the scale of either Russia’s reported advances or Ukraine’s drone strikes.
In the absence of a ceasefire, unmanned warfare is only expected to grow, further shifting the nature of combat and expanding the theater of operations well beyond the traditional front lines.