Russia claims shooting down drones above occupied Crimea and Moscow

The Russian-installed authorities of Crimea have claimed to repel a Ukrainian drone attack on the occupied peninsula on the night of 6 October. Sevastopol witnessed two instances of air alarms, with reports of air defense systems engaging unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The Russian-appointed "governor" of Sevastopol Mihail Razvozhayev claimed that air defense had repelled an attack from sea. The Russian Ministry of Defense said that at 22:30 local time, air defense systems downed a UAV approximately 10 kilometers off the southwestern coast of the Crimean Peninsula. The local Crimean Telegram channel Krymskyi Veter published a video with an air alarm. Later in the night, a UAV was shot down above Moscow, Russia's state-controlled TASS reported at 5:13, citing Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin. The agency stated that Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo airports suspended operations. 11 flights were delayed and two canceled. Without allies' permission to employ long-range missiles on objects inside Russia, Ukraine has increasingly employed drones against military objects. Ukraine has not admitted that it employs them against Moscow, but it is widely believed to be behind the strikes on the Russian capital as well. The latest of these include:

• August 30, 2023: Moscow Governor Sergei Sobyanin reported a large drone attack on Russia, with one drone being shot down on the approach to the capital in the Ruza district of Moscow. This was described as the largest drone attack on Russia.
• 23 August: A drone attack occurred in Moscow, where one drone hit the Neva Tower building in the Moscow City business and government center. The third drone was reportedly suppressed by electronic warfare during this attack.
• 18 August: Another drone attack hit a building in central Moscow, causing an explosion that was heard across the city. Smoke was seen rising from a business district in Moscow.
• 11 August: Moscow's air defense reportedly shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle over the Karamyshevskaya area.
• 31 July: Detailed photos of Ukrainian drones threatening Moscow residents were revealed in a related incident.

The German Foreign Minister defended Ukraine's drone attacks on Moscow as legitimate, amid accusations from Russia.