A major Ukrainian drone assault targeted the city of Zelenograd, known as Russia’s “Silicon Valley,” as well as a machine-building plant north of Moscow, Russian media and Ukrainian officials reported Wednesday.
Russian civil aviation authorities temporarily suspended flights to and from Moscow’s Domodedovo, Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports as the Defense Ministry reported downing nearly 300 Ukrainian drones overnight across 12 regions and Moscow.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said air defenses downed at least 33 Ukrainian drones as they approached the capital during the night. In the surrounding Moscow region, authorities said at least 42 drones were shot down, adding that three houses were damaged.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, claimed the targets of the attacks included the Dubna Machine-Building Plant and the ELMA Technopark in Zelenograd, an electronics development hub located just northwest of Moscow.
“There appear to have been some successful hits,” Kovalenko said. “ELMA is one of the key centers for import substitution of critical components that were previously sourced from the West.”
The Moscow Times could not independently verify Kovalenko’s claim of “successful hits.”
The Telegram news channel Astra published videos appearing to show drones flying over and exploding near ELMA-Zelenograd. The facility, located in the heart of Zelenograd, hosts the development of IT, microelectronics, robotics and medical technology.
Russian authorities said there were “no serious damages or injuries as a result of enemy drones being repelled in Zelenograd,” adding that emergency services were at the scene of the attacks.
Dubna, another scientific and technological hub that hosts nuclear research, is located around 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Moscow. According to the Dubna Machine-Building Plant’s website, the facility develops electronics, software and lasers, among other things.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, at least 15 people were injured in overnight Russian attacks, Ukrainian state media reported early Wednesday.
Both Russia and Ukraine have ramped up air attacks over the past two weeks despite renewing direct talks earlier this month. On Monday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had destroyed 2,331 Ukrainian drones in the span of a week and accused Kyiv of trying to derail peace negotiations.
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