In Russia, on the night of 29 October 2026, one of the largest drone attacks since the start of the full-scale war took place. According to Russian media reports, more than 400 flights were delayed or cancelled at airports in Moscow, St Petersburg and Ufa due to the threat posed by drones. The Russian Ministry of Defence claimed to have destroyed 1,214 drones during the night and morning. As Bloomberg notes, this is the largest number of drones the Russian military has reported intercepting in a single such period.
- On the night of 29 October, Russian regions came under a massive drone attack.
- More than 400 flights have been delayed or cancelled at Russian airports.
- The longest delays were recorded at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports.
- The Russian Ministry of Defence has claimed to have shot down 1,214 drones, but there is no independent confirmation of these figures.
- Damage to industrial facilities has been reported in Bashkortostan and the Perm Krai.
More than 400 flights have been delayed or cancelled at airports across Russia
According to the Russian publication *The Moscow Times*, the most serious disruptions to air travel occurred in Moscow and St Petersburg.
The Telegram channel ‘Baza’ has published information about widespread delays and flight cancellations at the country’s largest airports.
In particular:
- Sheremetyevo: 149 flights were delayed, and a further five were cancelled.
- Vnukovo: 137 flights were delayed.
- Domodedovo: 42 flights were delayed and one was cancelled.
- Pulkovo: 57 flights were delayed and a further six were cancelled.
St Petersburg Pulkovo Airport It also accepted 16 aircraft as an alternative airfield due to restrictions on Moscow’s airspace.
There were also significant disruptions in Ufa. The local airport twice restricted the arrival and departure of flights. According to regional media reports, the delays affected dozens of flights, including those to Moscow, Sochi, Kazan and other cities.
Rosaviatsiya has officially confirmed temporary restrictions on operations at Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky airports. These were introduced for safety reasons during the drone attack.
Russia has announced a record number of drones shot down
The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that, on the night of 29 October, Russian air defences allegedly intercepted and destroyed 1,214 Ukrainian drones.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defence, drones were spotted over 18 regions and Moscow. These include the Bryansk, Belgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Tula, Smolensk and Voronezh regions, amongst others, as well as Bashkortostan and Udmurtia.
The Mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin, stated that between the evening of 28 October and the morning of 29 October, 613 drones were allegedly flying towards the Russian capital. According to him, 231 of them were shot down on the outskirts of the city.
Bloomberg noted that the reported number of interceptions exceeded the previous night’s figure released by the Russian Ministry of Defence on 20 September, when the ministry reported that 1,110 drones had been shot down.
At the same time, it is impossible to verify these figures independently. The Ukrainian side has not confirmed the total number of drones claimed by Russia.
What is known about the consequences of the attack
Reports of explosions and air defence activity were coming in from several Russian regions.
In the city of Sterlitamak in Bashkortostan, the local authorities reported that debris from drones had fallen onto the premises of an industrial plant. According to the official Russian account, the damage was minor and production continued as normal.
The independent Russian publication ASTRA, having analysed eyewitness footage, reported that smoke had been observed near the «Bashkir Soda Company».
Dmitry Makhonin, Governor of the Perm Krai, also reported minor damage to an industrial facility as a result of the attack. He did not specify the name of the facility.
As of the evening of 29 October, some of the restrictions at airports had been lifted, although flight schedules remained disrupted. The full extent of the damage and the number of drones involved have not yet been definitively established. The figure of 1,214 drones shot down remains an unconfirmed claim by the Russian Ministry of Defence.
