Russian air defense systems have downed a Ukrainian drone approaching Moscow for at least the second time this week, the Defense Ministry said Friday.
The Russian military referred to the afternoon drone incursion as “an attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack.”
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said the unmanned aircraft was shot down on the outskirts of the city of Podolsk, 50 kilometers south of Moscow.
“There is no damage or injuries at the crash site,” Sobyanin wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
On Tuesday, Sobyanin and the Defense Ministry reported a similar attempted drone attack near Moscow that did not cause damage but forced several airports to ground and reroute flights.
During Friday’s incident, Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport told state media it had temporarily grounded flights.
Earlier the Armed Forces said they thwarted several waves of attacks and destroyed five drones over the border region of Bryansk.
Another four were destroyed over the Kaluga region, which is near Moscow, the Armed Forces said.
A near-daily occurrence in Russia’s border regions, drone attacks have periodically targeted Moscow and its surrounding areas throughout the invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian authorities rarely comment on drone attacks within Russian territory.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Friday it had downed 24 out of 28 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia overnight.
At least two residents of an apartment building were injured, said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.
AFP contributed reporting.
