Air defense downs 400+ drones over Moscow, says Russian diplomat Miroshnik

Russia's Special Envoy Rodion Miroshnik said air defense systems destroyed over 400 drones targeting Moscow. He added that Ukrainian leader Zelenskyy's attempt to display a terror capability with Western support had failed.

Scraper SystemJuly 20, 2026, 09:39 AM

Air defense downs 400+ drones over Moscow, says Russian diplomat Miroshnik

Russian air defense forces neutralized a large-scale unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attack on the capital, Moscow, Rodion Miroshnik, Special Envoy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, announced on his Telegram channel.

Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin had previously said that over 400 enemy UAVs approached the Moscow area between 8:30 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. local time, with the majority destroyed at long range by air defense systems.

Miroshnik said, "Zelenskyy was given a chance to at least display a terror capability with Western money, but the result was a fiasco." The Russian diplomat linked the attack to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy, adding, "400 UAVs is a massive armada, but our air defense scattered it. They will also be thanked for this attempt on the capital."

While drone attacks on Moscow and its environs have become more frequent recently, Ukraine generally does not claim responsibility for such actions or refrains from commenting.