Moscow mayor says 84 drones shot down on approach to capital

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said on Monday that Russian air defenses repelled another Ukrainian drone attack, with 84 unmanned aerial vehicles intercepted on approach to the capital overnight.

Emergency service specialists are working at the debris fall sites, Sobyanin wrote on Telegram.

"Over the past 24 hours, another enemy drone attack has been repelled. Air defense forces shot down 84 UAVs on their approach to Moscow alone. There is no destruction or casualties reported," he said.

The civil aviation authority temporarily imposed restrictions on flights at several airports serving Moscow during the attack.

Authorities did not immediately report any casualties or significant damage.

Meanwhile, the admission of children to summer camps and health resorts in Crimea has been suspended until the end of the summer for security reasons, according to regional head Sergey Aksyonov.

Crimea has been under Russian control since 2014, a status not recognized by Ukraine. The peninsula remains a primary target of Ukrainian strikes, as Kyiv continues to contest the current situation.

Commenting on the recent developments, Russian lawmaker Alexey Pushkov expressed concern that Western countries have entered a new phase of war against Russia, evidenced by supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine and granting Kyiv access to their airspace for strikes on Russian territory.

In a separate statement, the Defense Ministry reported advancement in a Ukrainian stronghold of Kostiantynivka, claiming its forces raised the flag in a newly captured part of the city.

Ukraine has yet to comment on the claims.

Drone attacks targeting Moscow and other Russian regions have become increasingly frequent during the conflict that has continued since 2022. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy admitted Kyiv targets Russia's energy sector, as it is crucially important for the country's economy.