Russia reported that it had shot down more than 4,500 drones in a week

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin stated that over the course of the week, Russian air defense forces allegedly neutralized thousands of drones flying toward the Russian capital. According to the mayor, from 8:30 a.m. on October 10 to 8:30 a.m. on October 17, 2,730 drones were flying toward the Moscow region. Most of them, Sobyanin claims, were destroyed by Russian air defense forces at a distance. Another 534 drones were allegedly intercepted as they approached Moscow. “Most of them were destroyed by air defense forces at distant frontiers. 534 drones were neutralized as they approached Moscow,” Sobyanin wrote.

These statements came amid new disruptions at Moscow’s airports due to drone attacks. On the night of October 17, Russian authorities reported an attack on the capital, and aviation authorities imposed restrictions on airport operations. As a result, flights were delayed and rerouted.

How many drones were allegedly shot down by Russian air defense

The Russian Ministry of Defense also reported massive drone attacks. According to data provided by the ministry, over 4,500 Ukrainian UAVs were allegedly intercepted over Russian regions during the week. Russian authorities released the following figures for specific days:

• October 10: Overnight, Russian air defense and electronic warfare forces allegedly neutralized 560 drones. By the end of the day, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported intercepting another 78 drones.

• October 11: The Russian ministry reported that 591 drones had been shot down.

• October 12: It was reported that 184 drones had been intercepted.

• October 13: The Russian Ministry of Defense reported 674 drones.

• October 14: In its nightly summary, the Russian side reported intercepting 902 UAVs.

• October 15: Russian authorities reported 153 drones shot down.

• October 16: The report also mentioned 691 drones.

• October 17: In the morning, the Russian side reported intercepting 610 drones.

These figures are based on reports from the Russian military. It is impossible to independently verify all reported interceptions.

Reports of Attacks on Oil Refineries

Amid reports of drone attacks, Russian authorities also claimed that facilities in the oil industry had been struck. In particular, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak reported an attack by Ukrainian forces on the Saratov and Ryazan oil refineries.

Following this, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of another 91 drones in these regions. At the same time, the report on the interception of drones does not make it possible to determine exactly which targets they reached or what damage they caused.

What Is Known About the Scale of the Attack on Moscow

According to Sobyanin, the number of drones heading toward Moscow increased over the course of the week. He claims that Russian air defense forces intercepted most of them before they reached the capital. However, the figures released by the mayor of Moscow and the Russian Ministry of Defense cover different scopes: the former pertains to the Moscow region, while the latter covers Russian regions as a whole. Therefore, they should not be compared as independent data, nor should one conclude based on them that a certain proportion of all drones was headed specifically for Moscow.

In the aforementioned statement, the Ukrainian side did not confirm the total number of drones cited by Russian officials. Therefore, the published figures should be viewed specifically as data from the Russian authorities, rather than as independently verified statistics. He wrote about this on his Telegram channel.

On the night of October 17, Russian authorities reported an attack by 144 drones on Moscow. Due to the drone threat, restrictions were imposed at the capital’s airports, and some flights were delayed or rerouted to other cities. In total, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that overnight, its air defense forces allegedly shot down 610 drones over various regions of the country and the occupied Crimea.

For several months, Russian Lieutenant Lev Stupnikov secretly passed on the coordinates of Russian military positions, plans for offensive operations, and information about the Russian command to Ukrainian intelligence. The information obtained helped the Ukrainian military eliminate more than 300 Russian occupiers.