Russian Air Defences Down 25 Ukraine Drones Headed For Moscow, Flights Briefly Disrupted

Last Updated:December 25, 2025, 08:18 IST

Sergei Sobyanin reported 25 Ukrainian drones intercepted near Moscow, with no casualties. Ukraine targeted the Yefremov plant in Tula and Crimea.

Sergei Sobyanin reported 25 Ukrainian drones intercepted near Moscow, with no casualties. Ukraine targeted the Yefremov plant in Tula and Crimea. (Pic: ORF)

Russian air defence units intercepted 25 Ukrainian drones heading toward Moscow over nearly a full day on Wednesday, according to the city’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin.

In a series of posts on Telegram, Sobyanin said the drones were repelled over roughly 23 hours. Emergency teams were dispatched to inspect debris where fragments fell, but no damage or casualties were reported. He added that nine drones were downed after 11 pm.

Disruptions briefly affected air travel, with two of Moscow’s four major airports temporarily limiting operations, Russia’s civil aviation authority said.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry reported that air defence systems destroyed 29 Ukrainian drones nationwide during a three-hour window ending at 11 pm, though it was unclear whether this figure included the Moscow-bound drones cited by Sobyanin. Earlier, the ministry said 172 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight, nearly half over regions bordering Ukraine.

Ukraine’s military said its overnight drone strikes hit the Yefremov synthetic rubber plant in Russia’s Tula region, south of Moscow, and a storage facility for marine drones in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Tula Governor Dmitry Milyaev confirmed that debris from a downed drone caused a fire at an industrial site in the region, without naming the facility. He said 12 Ukrainian drones were destroyed over Tula.

Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks inside Russia, saying it is targeting military, energy and logistics infrastructure to disrupt Moscow’s war effort, in response to Russia’s continued strikes on Ukrainian territory.Russ

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