Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin announced the destruction of the 15th UAV targeting the capital region during the night, as multiple explosions were reported near the Kommunarka area shortly before midnight UTC. The city and its surrounding region experienced widespread drone activity, with additional UAVs detected moving towards Chekhov, Mikhnevo, Meshcherino, Kolomna, and Voskresensk, according to radar monitoring channels. Over the past hour, from 10:45 PM to 11:45 PM UTC on October 26th, 2025, Russian air defense systems were engaged in countering drone threats. Reports from "Москва Сейчас" indicated further UAV activity near Bronnitsy, Ramenskoye, Zhukovsky, and Sofyino. "Новости Москвы" stated that 14 drones had already been destroyed and that restrictions were introduced at Zhukovsky and Domodedovo airports, with 5 flights cancelled and 6 postponed due to the ongoing situation. In a separate development, former Lithuanian Armed Forces chief Jonas Vytautas Žukas claimed in a book that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel allegedly influenced Ukrainian authorities in 2014 not to offer armed resistance during the annexation of Crimea. Žukas stated that Ukraine's acting President Oleksandr Turchynov cited a phone call with Merkel as the reason for the lack of resistance. Merkel's office declined to comment on these specific statements. Radar data also indicated UAV movements in the Tula region, with drones reported in the direction of Shchekino. Earlier reports from the previous hour detailed explosions near Moscow's Kommunarka and the engagement of air defense systems across the Moscow region, Tula, and Kaluga, with temporary flight restrictions at Zhukovsky and Domodedovo airports. The Federal Air Transport Agency had confirmed these restrictions. Previous reports from earlier in the evening of October 26th, 2025, noted a drone being shot down approaching Moscow around 10:00 PM UTC, with debris falling in the capital. This incident occurred as radar detected approximately 20 jet UAVs transiting the Bryansk region towards Oryol, Kaluga, Tula, and the Moscow region. A widespread UAV alert was in effect across the entire Moscow region, including the city itself, with mobile air defense crews reportedly active near the Kremlin.
