Nightly drone attacks target Moscow and Kyiv without casualties reported

Kyiv and Moscow were subjected to drone attacks on Saturday night, with air defenses successfully intercepting a significant number of them, and no injuries were reported, according to authorities. 

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated in a release, "An attempt by the Kyiv regime to carry out a terrorist attack using drones against facilities on Russian soil was thwarted." 

It noted that these drones were "intercepted by air defense" over the Bogorodsk region east of Moscow. 

The mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, affirmed on Telegram that this attack "did not cause any damage or casualties," stating that "emergency services are working at the site" where the wreckage of the drones fell. 

Ukrainian forces had previously conducted drone strikes inside Russian territory during the counteroffensive launched by Kyiv in June. However, such incidents became rare in recent weeks. 

Meanwhile, Kyiv experienced a second consecutive night of drone attacks launched by the Russian army, using Iranian-made "Shahed" drones, according to local authorities, who spoke of the "intensification" of attacks on the Ukrainian capital. 

The head of the military administration in Kyiv stated on Telegram, "For the second day in a row, the enemy is attacking the capital with drones." 

He explained that the Russian drones were "launched in several groups and attacked Kyiv from various directions." 

The Ukrainian General Staff confirmed in a separate statement the "destruction of 15 out of 20 enemy drones." 

"No injuries or significant damage were recorded." 

This comes after the Ukrainian Air Force announced the downing of 29 out of 38 Russian-launched drones in a nightly attack, the largest since the end of September. 

On Saturday evening, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that Russia would likely intensify its aerial bombardment of Ukrainian energy-related infrastructure before winter. 

In his daily address, he stated, "The closer we get to the winter season, the more the Russians try to intensify their attacks," urging his army to be "100 percent effective, despite all the difficulties and fatigue." 

AFP