Russian air defences intercept Ukrainian drones headed for Moscow, mayor says

(Reuters) -Russian air defences intercepted drones heading for Moscow in a series of attacks, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said.

Sobyanin, writing on Telegram, made no mention of casualties or damage in his accounts of air defence activity, but said 13 drones had been downed or destroyed after midnight. He said specialists were examining fragments where they had landed.

A tally of his posts showed 10 more drones were intercepted or destroyed in the previous 11 hours.

Russia's Defence Ministry, in a separate post, said its air defence units had downed 87 Ukrainian drones in different areas across central, western and southern Russia in a period of nearly five hours. Forty-eight of the drones were downed in Bryansk region, on the Ukrainian border.

The acting governor of Rostov region, on Ukraine's eastern border, said Ukrainian drones had triggered fires or knocked down power lines in a number of districts.

Ukraine has for some time launched drones against long-distance Russian targets, many associated with energy. In one attack last month, dubbed "Operation Spiders Web," Russian long-range military aircraft were targeted at several air bases.

Russia's military has in recent weeks intensified its attacks by swarms of drones and missiles against Ukrainian cities.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Leslie Adler)