Airports grounded, skies on alert: Flights suspended as Russia fends off huge Ukrainian drone attack

Russian authorities say they repelled a major Ukrainian drone attack , with over 100 drones intercepted late Tuesday and early Wednesday across several regions, including near the capital.

According to a post on Telegram by Russia’s defence ministry, 112 Ukrainian drones were "destroyed and intercepted" across six regions within a three-hour span before midnight.

The drones targeted key areas including Bryansk, Kursk, Belgorod, Tula, Oryol, and Kaluga.

Twelve drones targeting the capital were shot down, leading to temporary flight suspensions at Vnukovo and Zhukovsky airports, according to AFP, citing Russia’s federal aviation transport agency.

The defence ministry said that the Bryansk region was hit the hardest, with 59 drones sent toward the southwestern area near the Ukrainian border.

This large-scale drone attack follows Ukraine's report earlier this week that it had endured the most intense wave of Russian drone strikes since the beginning of the invasion in 2022.

Over a three-day period ending Monday, Ukraine claimed Russia had launched more than 900 drones, with 13 civilians, including three children, killed in Sunday’s barrage alone.

While Russian authorities frequently report drone activity, such a high volume of drones over such a wide area and short time frame is rare. Moscow, located hundreds of kilometers from the Ukrainian border, is not often the focus of large-scale attacks, though recent weeks have seen more frequent flight diversions due to airspace threats.

Russia's defence ministry said on Tuesday that it responded to what it called a Ukrainian "provocation" by launching drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian civilian installations.