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Mayor of Moscow: Russian air defences shot down four drones heading for Moscow

The mayor of Moscow said that Russian air defences destroyed four Ukrainian drones heading for Moscow on Saturday. One of the main airports in the capital temporarily stopped outgoing flights.

The mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, said that emergency services are working on the site of the drones which have fallen but did not give any information about potential damage.

In a Telegram report, the Russian Defence Ministry said that air defence units destroyed 48 Ukrainian drones over a five-hour period on Saturday evening. Five drones were in the area surrounding Moscow and two others were heading for the capital.

According to the report of the Defence Ministry, the total consisted of 17 drones flying over the Bryansk Region near the Ukrainian border as well as 11 in the adjacent Oryol Region.

Belgorod region governor, on the border, said that four Ukrainian drones injured a driver of a bus and a driver of a car.

A report from the Defence Ministry stated that 94 drones were destroyed in Russia over night on Saturday, and 45 others within six hours of each other during the day.

The Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow reported delays after flights had been temporarily halted. Civil Aviation Authority Rosaviatsiya stated that the measures were taken as a result of "restrictions", over the capital's skyspace, as well as high winds.

Rosaviatsiya reported that incoming and departing flights were temporarily halted at airports across Russia, including Pulkovo Airport in St Petersburg, due to safety concerns. (Reporting and editing by Jan Harvey, Diane Craft and Lucy Papachristou)

(source: Reuters)