The attack took place right when Russian President Vladimir Putin began his traditional New Year's speech.
According to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, the first UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was shot down by Russian air defense forces at 11:55 pm on December 31, just minutes before Mr. Putin appeared on national television.
After New Year's Eve, another UAV was intercepted, and from about 2-3 am, 3 more continued to be neutralized as they approached Moscow.
There were no casualties or damage" - Mr. Sobyanin affirmed, and said that rescue teams and emergency experts had been deployed to the areas where the UAV crashed.
The incident took place just one day after the Moscow region suffered another UAV attack, with at least 21 aircraft being shot down. Moscow Governor Andrey Vorobyov said that a 57-year-old man was wounded in the back and arm by fragments during this attack.
In recent months, Ukraine has continuously deployed long-range deep-range UAVs in Russian territory, targeting key infrastructure and residential areas. Moscow called these "terrorist" actions, saying that Kiev is trying to create pressure with symbolic strikes, especially at sensitive times.
The Russian side declared a response with attacks targeting military infrastructure related to the production of UAVs and weapons of Ukraine, with the aim of reducing Kiev's combat capabilities.
The latest UAV attack series is also a continuation of a more serious attack targeting President Putin's residence in the Novgorod region on the night of December 28, early morning of December 29. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov condemned this as an act of "state-level terrorism" and warned Moscow would have a "non-diplomatic" response.
The Russian Ministry of Defense then released a video showing a Ukrainian long-range UAV being shot down in this attack. According to the Russian military, all 91 UAVs launched by Kiev into the mansion area have been destroyed.
A Russian soldier appearing in the video said that the seized UAV is a Chaklun-V reconnaissance-attack type manufactured by Ukraine, which has been modified. The UAV was hit by bullets in the tail but is still quite intact - what this person called a "rare case".
According to the description, the unexploded warhead of the UAV contains "a large amount of lethal debris", designed to cause casualties to both military and civilian targets.
The Russian Ministry of Defense affirmed that it had "presented undeniable evidence" of a terrorist attack plan targeting the residence of the Russian President, and rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's denial.
Either he does not grasp the reality, or he is lying" - the statement emphasized.
A flight path map released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows 49 UAVs shot down in the sky over Bryansk, one in Smolensk and 41 others in Novgorod.
The Kremlin believes that these UAV attacks are not only aimed at President Putin personally, but also at "US President Donald Trump's efforts to promote a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict".
