Two injured in Ukrainian drone strike in Moscow region, nearly 50 flights disrupted

MOSCOW, Aug 21 (Reuters) – At least two people were injured on Monday when parts of a Ukrainian drone destroyed by Russian air defenses fell on a house in the Moscow region, the regional governor said.

Nearly 90 aircraft 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 in the nearby Istrinsky district.

Arrivals and departures from Moscow’s four main airports – Vnukovo, Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo and Zhukovsky – were restricted, disrupting 45 passenger planes and two cargo planes, Russia’s Rosaviatsia aviation authority said.

Russian authorities have repeatedly warned that military drones flying over Moscow, which along with the surrounding region has a population of nearly 22 million people, could cause a major disaster.

Separately, the Russian Defense Ministry said it had shot down two drones in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine in the space of around an hour and a half. The governor of the 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 shot down in the Kaluga region had landed at a military airfield, causing a crater and a fire that was quickly put out.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the various reports.

Drone airstrikes deep into Russia have increased since two drones were destroyed over the Kremlin in early May. Drone strikes in the Russian capital have become increasingly common in recent months.

It is unclear what impact the drone strikes will have on perceptions of the war among the Russian population. Polls indicate that support for the Russian military operation in Ukraine remains high, at around 75%, although there are questions about the accuracy of the polls in Russia.

Ukraine generally does not comment on who is behind the attacks on Russian soil, though officials have publicly welcomed them.

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