Russia says it downed 73 Ukrainian drones, including 3 flying to Moscow

Russian air defences destroyed 73 Ukrainian drones overnight, including three heading for Moscow, Russia’s defence ministry said on Friday.

Most of the drones were downed over Russia’s southwestern regions, including 31 over the Bryansk region that borders Ukraine, the ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, writing on Telegram, made no mention of casualties or damage, but said emergency services were examining the area where drone fragments fell to the ground.

The federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsia, briefly ordered the suspension of operations at two airports near the capital, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, but services were later resumed.

Operations were halted well after midnight at a third Moscow airport, Vnukovo before being reinstated by the morning.

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine about the attacks.

Kyiv says that its strikes inside Russia are necessary to destroy infrastructure key to Moscow’s efforts in its war against Ukraine, now in its fourth year.