Russia repelled the largest-scale drone attack to date; nearly a third of the drones were headed for Moscow
Russia reported one of the largest drone attacks since the war began. According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, 450 drones were allegedly shot down just as they approached the capital, and Russian air defense forces reported destroying more than 1,600 UAVs across various fronts. At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Defense cited a different figure—1,110 drones in a single night.
Russian authorities reported a large-scale drone attack that swept across dozens of regions of the country overnight. According to the Russian side, Moscow was one of the main targets. The mayor of the Russian capital, Sergei Sobyanin, stated that Russian air defenses repelled “the largest-scale attack” by drones on Moscow.
According to him, since the previous day, the Russian military had allegedly destroyed more than 1,600 drones at various fronts. Of these, about 450, as Sobyanin claims, were shot down as they approached Moscow. Based on the 1,600 drones mentioned by the mayor, this represents about 28% of the total. At the same time, this figure does not mean that all of these drones were headed specifically for Moscow. Sobyanin was referring to drones that were allegedly shot down at various defense lines.
Despite the air defense efforts, some of the drones, according to the Moscow mayor, still reached the capital’s territory. “However, several drones reached the territory of the Moscow Oil Refinery, and one struck a residential building. There were no fatalities,” Sobyanin stated. According to him, drones also attacked the Moscow Oil Refinery. He did not provide details about the nature of the damage or the possible consequences of the attack.
The Russian Ministry of Defense cited a different number of drones
Later, the Russian Ministry of Defense released its own report on the attack. It cited a different number of drones. According to the Russian ministry, air defense forces allegedly intercepted and destroyed 1,110 Ukrainian aircraft-type drones overnight. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the drones were detected simultaneously over many regions.
Specifically, these included the Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Ryazan, Tula, Kaluga, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Tambov, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Smolensk, and Oryol regions. The Russian side also reported drones over the Rostov, Volgograd, Saratov, and Samara regions. The list also included the Krasnodar Krai, the Moscow region, occupied Crimea, and the Black Sea.
Thus, Russian authorities are reporting a large-scale drone attack that has covered a significant portion of the Russian Federation’s territory. However, the figures cited by various Russian agencies and officials differ. Sobyanin speaks of more than 1,600 drones destroyed at various front lines since the previous day, while the Russian Ministry of Defense reports 1,110 drones intercepted and destroyed specifically overnight. There is currently no independent confirmation of all the figures and the extent of the damage reported by the Russian side. This information comes from a statement by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and a report from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
On the night of September 20, the Ukrainian military struck the Moscow oil refinery in the Kapotnya area. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike and announced that one of Russia’s key oil industry facilities had been hit. The General Staff reported that a massive fire broke out at the plant following the attack.
The head of state also stated that Russia must end the war against Ukraine. “Moscow must stop building echeloned air defense rings at the expense of other regions and instead end its brutal war and choose peace,” Zelenskyy said. According to him, there are already possible steps toward de-escalation, particularly in the energy sector and food security. At the same time, the president emphasized the need for political will. Currently, the Ukrainian side continues to develop long-range weapons and strike Russian military and industrial facilities which, according to Ukraine, are linked to supplying its army. The head of state reported this on Facebook.
On the night of September 19–20, Moscow and the Moscow Region came under a massive drone attack. One of the strikes hit the “Gazpromneft-MNPZ” Moscow oil refinery in the Kapotnya district, after which a fire broke out at the facility.
