Russia downs 16 Ukrainian drones flying towards Moscow

Moscow: Russia on Saturday shot down 16 Ukrainian drones heading to attack Moscow, officials said.

In a social media post, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said first responders have reached the sites where the debris of the drones fell.

He said 16 Ukrainian drones were shot down as they were heading towards Moscow.

The mayor, however, did not give any details of damage or casualties on the ground.

According to Moskva 24 TV channel, three of the four local airports, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky, located in the capital, had suspended their operations for several hours, disrupting air traffic.

As part of preparedness against drone attacks, Moscow city and the capital region have been selectively switching off mobile internet, and people have been advised to use applications available offline.

Maxim Korkin, the regional official in charge of Transport and Information technology, cautioned residents of the Moscow region about possible "temporary difficulties with mobile communications and internet access." RIA Novosti agency reported.

The official explained that these measures were being taken at the federal level to ensure the security of the country and recommended that residents use Wi-Fi and VoWiFi whenever possible.

The official said in the Moscow region, work has been carried out to organise access to socially significant regional resources in the event of threats of attack by unmanned aerial vehicles during periods of mobile internet restrictions.