[1/2]People stand in front of a terminal of the Domodedovo airport outside Moscow, Russia August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov Acquire Licensing Rights
MOSCOW, Aug 21 (Reuters) – At least two people were injured on Monday when parts of a Ukrainian drone destroyed by Russian air defences fell on a house in the Moscow region, the regional governor said.
Nearly 90 airplane flights in and out of the capital were disrupted after Russia said it jammed a Ukrainian drone in the Ruzsky district west of the capital and destroyed another one in the Istrinsky district nearby.
Arrivals and departures from Moscow’s four main airports – Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky – were restricted, disrupting 45 passenger planes and two cargo planes, Russian aviation authority Rosaviatsia said.
Russian officials have repeatedly cautioned that military drones flying over Moscow – which along with its surrounding region has a population of nearly 22 million people – could cause a major disaster.
Separately, the Russian Defence Ministry said it had downed two drones in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine in the space of around an hour and a half. The governor of Kaluga region, south of Moscow, said a drone had also been repelled there.
No damage or injuries were reported in any of the attacks.
Mash, a Russian news channel on the Telegram messaging app, said the drone downed in Kaluga region had landed on a military airfield, causing a crater and a fire that was quickly put out.
Reuters could not independently verify the various reports.
Drone air strikes deep inside Russia have increased since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Drone strikes on the Russian capital have become increasingly common in recent months.
It is unclear what impact the drone attacks will have on perceptions of the war among the Russian population. Polling indicates support for the Russian military operation in Ukraine remains high, around 75%, though there are questions over how accurate polling is in Russia.
Ukraine typically does not comment on who is behind attacks on Russian territory, although officials have publicly expressed satisfaction over them.
Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge, Mark Trevelyan and Gareth Jones
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
