Explosions were heard early Thursday morning, June 26, in Moscow and the surrounding region, as Russian authorities reported a large-scale drone attack.
According to the Russian Telegram channel Mash, blasts were heard in several areas, including Didovsk in the Istrinsky district, Zelenograd, and Moskovskiy in New Moscow.
鈥淚n just five minutes, at least five explosions were heard in the sky,鈥 the channel reported.
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that air defenses had shot down two drones approaching the city.
In response, operations at Moscow鈥檚 Vnukovo Airport were temporarily restricted under the 鈥淐arpet鈥 plan 鈥 a protocol activated during airborne threats. Five flights were rerouted to Sheremetyevo Airport, Mash added.
Later in the morning, Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry said its air defense systems had intercepted and destroyed 50 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones in total:
23 over the Kursk region
11 over the Rostov region
6 over the Bryansk region
3 over the Belgorod region
3 over the Moscow region (including the two targeting Moscow)
2 over the occupied Crimea
1 each over Mordovia and the Kaluga region
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, from 10:00 p.m. on June 25 until the morning of June 26, Russian forces launched an attack on Ukraine using 41 Shahed strike drones and various types of simulator UAVs. The main targets were frontline areas in the Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.
鈥淎s of 08:00, air defenses had neutralized 24 enemy Shahed UAVs and other drones across the east, south, and north of the country. Eight were shot down with firepower, and 16 were suppressed or lost due to electronic warfare,鈥 the report stated.
Hits of Russian attack drones were recorded in seven different locations.
As reported by Kyiv Post on June 25, a Ukrainian drone strike damaged a major Russian defense facility overnight in the city of Taganrog, according to Ukrainian security officials. The facility is reportedly tied to Moscow鈥檚 military drone production.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the National Security and Defense Council鈥檚 Center for Countering Disinformation, said the explosion struck the Atlant-Aero plant, which he described as an important part of Russia鈥檚 military-industrial complex.
According to Kovalenko, the plant manufactures key components for Orion combat drones, as well as electronic warfare systems and control technologies used in FPV strike drones and loitering munitions.
The attack came during a wave of Ukrainian drone strikes overnight, with Russian officials reporting drone activity across several regions, including Rostov, which borders Ukraine.
Russia鈥檚 Defense Ministry claimed its air defenses intercepted 22 drones over multiple areas, including the occupied Crimean Peninsula, and at least 7 over the Rostov region.
Rostov Governor Yuri Slyusar confirmed that the strike caused damage in Taganrog. He reported that two residential buildings, a sports complex, and a school had been affected. In the nearby city of Azov, a grain storage facility and an industrial site were also reportedly hit.
Drone warfare has become increasingly central in the conflict since Russia鈥檚 full-scale invasion in February 2022. Ukraine has concentrated its efforts on targeting Russian military infrastructure, while Moscow continues to carry out widespread drone, missile, and rocket attacks on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, often using Iranian-made Shahed drones in combination with ballistic and cruise missiles.