Drones Reportedly Target Moscow, St. Petersburg, and Smolensk in Overnight Strikes

Russian officials and media outlets reported on Sept. 12 that drones struck multiple regions across Russia, including Moscow and St. Petersburg, in one of the largest attacks of the war, Orda.kz reports, citing The Kyiv Independent.

According to Leningrad Oblast Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko, over 30 drones were shot down in the region. Debris landed in several towns, including Tosno, Vsevolozhsk, Pokrovskoye, and Uzmino, though he said no casualties were reported.

Air defenses were also active over the Pushkinsky district of St. Petersburg, he added.

Drozdenko reported fires at a pumping station and on a vessel in the Primorsk Port — Russia’s largest oil terminal on the Baltic Sea — but claimed they were extinguished without injuries or risk of spills.

The drone threat forced St. Petersburg’s Pulkovo Airport to temporarily close, disrupting nearly 50 flights. Residents of St. Petersburg and nearby towns told independent media they heard explosions throughout the night.

In Moscow, Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said at least nine drones were intercepted near the capital and that emergency crews were dispatched to crash sites. Russian Telegram channels cited reports of blasts in Mozhaysk and Dedovsk, west of Moscow.

In Smolensk, Governor Vasily Anokhin confirmed another wave of drones but provided no details. Local residents reported explosions and shared footage showing a fire at what they claimed was a Lukoil facility.

The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify these accounts. Ukraine’s military has not commented.