Moscow and its surrounding region came under a large-scale drone attack overnight between 5 and 6 October, which Russian officials stated involved 650 drones. The assault, described as one of the largest on the Russian capital in two years by France 24, resulted in the deaths of two men and injuries to nine others, according to local officials.
Extensive Drone Activity and Casualties Reported
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin reported that 650 UAVs were flying towards Moscow Oblast between 20:30 on 5 October and 05:00 on 6 October, Moscow time. He stated that “most of them have been destroyed by air defence forces at long range. A total of 105 drones have been destroyed while approaching Moscow,” according to Ukrainska Pravda. Moscow Region governor Andrei Vorobyov additionally specified that 185 drones were “destroyed or neutralised” overnight over 16 municipalities in the region.
The attack claimed the lives of two men, aged 71 and 20, in two different locations on the outskirts of Moscow. In addition, nine other individuals sustained injuries. Damage was reported across seven municipalities, affecting 47 houses and four apartments in a residential building in the village of Lobanovo.
Infrastructure Targets and Airport Disruptions
Following the attack, Telegram channels reported that the Volodarskaya Linear Production and Dispatching Station (LPDS) was on fire. This facility, near the settlement of Volodarskogo and the village of Konstantinovo in Moscow Oblast, is a significant oil storage depot and a dispatching hub for major pipelines carrying refined petroleum products in the Moscow area.
Operations at Moscow’s four airports – Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, and Zhukovsky – experienced restrictions multiple times during the night and morning. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsia) confirmed these disruptions, noting that normal operations resumed after 05:00 Moscow time.
Broader Context of Intensified Strikes
This large-scale drone assault comes amidst an intensification of long-range strikes by both Ukraine and Russia on civilian and industrial targets. These targets include energy, transport, and port infrastructure, as well as ships in the Black Sea.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has indicated its intentions to increase strikes on infrastructure targets, including in Kyiv, as winter approaches. This follows a pattern of targeting critical infrastructure, a concern previously highlighted in reports such as Trump Claims Ukraine Energy Truce Amid Continued Strikes.