Moscow came under one of its heaviest drone barrages in weeks late Monday into Tuesday, forcing flight cancellations and sparking scenes of panic as Russia scrambled air defenses. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said at least 46 drones were shot down near the capital, while Russia's Defense Ministry claimed 127 drones were intercepted nationwide between midnight Monday and Tuesday afternoon, calling it the second-largest daily total in recent months.
Geolocated footage showed explosions in Moscow suburbs, including Reutov, only nine miles from the Kremlin. In a striking moment captured on video, Russia's massive Antonov-124 military cargo plane flew at unnervingly low altitudes over residential neighborhoods near Vnukovo Airport. "Residents of New Moscow... heard a loud roar and were a little scared when they saw the plane over the houses," Russian outlet SHOT reported.
The aerial onslaught forced temporary suspensions at all four of Moscow's major airports-Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky-as well as flight restrictions in cities from Kazan to Yaroslavl. Rosaviatsiya said multiple flights were diverted, with some passengers stranded for hours at alternate airports. "There are 300 of us... there's no food, no alcohol, only water, and everyone's battery chargers are dead," one frustrated passenger in St. Petersburg told local media after his Pobeda Airlines flight was repeatedly delayed.
Ukraine has not formally claimed responsibility but Andriy Kovalenko, head of the country's Counter-Disinformation Center, suggested that Kyiv's drones also targeted Yelabuga in Tatarstan, home to a key Russian strike-drone manufacturing facility.
The strikes came hours before U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were set to meet in New York during the U.N. General Assembly. Zelenskyy said on social media, "Almost two dozen meetings are planned. A busy few days lie ahead. Ukraine must become stronger."
NATO issued a strongly worded statement Tuesday condemning Russia's own recent incursions into allied airspace. "Russia bears full responsibility for these actions, which are escalatory, risk miscalculation and endanger lives," NATO said, vowing to use "all necessary military and non-military tools to defend ourselves."
