In the early hours of June 22, Moscow authorities reported the destruction of 59 Ukrainian drones approaching the capital. The city’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, confirmed that the first alerts about the intercepted drones were issued at 3:02 AM, with the final drone being reported downed by 5:07 AM.
As a result of the drone attacks, major airports in Moscow, including Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky, temporarily suspended operations. By morning, flight restrictions were lifted, allowing normal operations to resume.
The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that a total of 301 Ukrainian drones were intercepted overnight across several regions, including Belgorod, Bryansk, Volgograd, Voronezh, Kaluga, Kursk, Rostov, Tambov, Tver, Tula, Smolensk, as well as the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, and the annexed Crimea. Interceptions also occurred over the Azov and Black Sea waters.
This incident follows a significant drone attack on June 18, when nearly 200 drones targeted Moscow and its suburbs, marking the largest assault on the city since the onset of the full-scale conflict. The attack resulted in a fire at a refinery in the Kapotnya district of eastern Moscow and left 17 people injured, including the tragic death of an eight-year-old girl.
Moscow faced significant drone attacks on June 22, leading to the temporary suspension of airport operations. The Russian military reported intercepting over 300 drones, continuing a trend of escalating aerial confrontations in the region.