Moscow mayor says 630 drones flew at capital region overnight

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 630 drones flew toward the Moscow region between 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and 4:00 a.m. Thursday, Moscow time, most of them destroyed at distant approaches and 163 downed on the way to the capital, with two people injured in the Voronovo area of New Moscow.

Why it matters: The mayor's overnight total is nearly ten times the count he had reported earlier in the evening, and the attack closed every Moscow airport and forced Aeroflot to cancel and divert flights, making it the largest drone wave against the capital region he has reported in this campaign.

Data as of Wednesday, October 21, 2026, 20:44 ET. Developing item. All three Interfax reports, in Russian, were opened and read in full in translation. The drone count is Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin's account, relayed by Interfax; Russia is a party to the conflict and no independent corroboration of the count was available, hence grade C. The Sheremetyevo restriction is attributed to Rosaviatsiya, the Russian federal aviation agency. Update, 22:42 ET: Interfax reports of October 22, 2026, in Russian, read in full in translation, carrying Sobyanin's statement that 630 drones flew toward the Moscow region between 20:30 Wednesday and 04:00 Thursday, Moscow time, that air defences destroyed another 73 drones on approach to the capital for a total of 163, and that Aeroflot is adjusting its schedule after Rosaviatsiya suspended all Moscow airports; ERT News, in Greek, reporting Reuters, read in full in translation, carries the same Sobyanin figures and the two injuries. Every count and the casualty report still rest on Sobyanin's account alone, a party to the conflict, with no independent corroboration, hence grade C.

Latest: Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said 630 drones flew toward the Moscow region between 8:30 p.m. Wednesday and 4:00 a.m. Thursday, Moscow time, most of them destroyed by air defences at distant approaches, Interfax reported. Sobyanin said two people were injured in the Voronovo area of New Moscow (TiNAO) and were receiving assistance. In a separate report, Interfax said air defences destroyed another 73 drones flying toward the capital, bringing the total downed on approach to Moscow itself to 163, and that Rosaviatsiya, the federal aviation agency, had imposed restrictions at all airports in the Moscow aviation hub; Aeroflot said it was shifting departure times, cancelling some flights and diverting aircraft to alternate airfields.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said air defences destroyed another 12 drones flying toward the Russian capital late on Wednesday, bringing the total he claims for the night’s attack to 68, Interfax reported. Sobyanin said emergency service specialists were working where debris fell, and no information on damage or casualties was reported in the accounts read. Russia’s federal aviation agency, Rosaviatsiya, imposed temporary restrictions on arrivals and departures at Sheremetyevo, Moscow’s main international airport, Interfax reported separately.

Moscow mayor says 630 drones flew at capital region overnight

Sources